Identity
by vinterthunder
Summary: Meeting Shitennou lookalikes made the girls wonder who they had loved in the past. Set 4 years after the dark kingdom in Sailor Moon Crystal.
1. Chapter 1: Companions in Spirits

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Author's note: I have been wanting to write this story for a while. This is an entirely different story from Memory Trap. It sets four years after the Dark Kingdom battle in Sailor Moon Crystal.

Name

Kunzite - Ken

Nephrite - Nobu

Zoicite -Sora

Jadeite - Junichi

~Mamoru~

"Good work today, Chiba." Prof. Yamada patted him on the back. Mamoru bowed with humility.

"Thank you, Sir."

This was his last year of medical school. Next year he would be a full-fledged doctor. Sometimes he felt it was hard to believe that. It seemed like yesterday he was a Tuxedo Mask trotting through the streets of Tokyo every night to find the Silver Crystal.

He had decided to stay in Tokyo and study at Yamaguchi medical school instead of studying in the U.S. It was a difficult decision, but he was glad he chose to stay here. Having Usagi by his side made all the hard, grueling study so much easier.

Mamoru walked to the doctor's lounge, took off his white gown, grabbed his bag and walked home. When he got outside, it was dark already, almost 9 o'clock. Working in a hospital always made him lose track of time.

The wind was too chilly for April, the breeze was getting stronger by the minutes. As he was walking through the park, he saw a group of guys playing basketball together. They seemed to have fun, teasing, talking and playing together. He thought of his Shitennou. Even though it was a lifetime ago, he still fondly remembered the memories of them spending time together. They were like brothers to him. He recalled how Jadeite helped him plot the plan to sneak out to see Serenity without his parents and the rest of the Shitennou knowing. But Jadeite couldn't keep a secret for the life of him. Soon Zoicite and Nephrite knew of his escapade too. They were reluctant to help him at first but eventually gave in. Kunzite, we were trying to avoid, but we didn't succeed for long. He caught us within a month. Mamoru still remembered how Kunzite yelled at them. Even though Endymion was trying to take the blame for Jadeite, Zoicite, and Nephrite, the Shitennou leader wasn't having it. Kunzite lectured the younger generals that their job is to ensure Endymion's safety, not following his reckless requests. Mamoru chuckled at the thought. Kunzite always acted like a father to the rest of the Shitennou. The three younger Shitennou's cowering faces when got yelled by Kunzite was quite a sight. Jadeite trying to look remorseful, even though Endymion knew he wasn't, Zoicite trying to argue, using every possible rhetorical strategy, and Nephrite citing code of conducts from the military guide as excuses. Kunzite's face was getting red from yelling at the rest of them. Kunzite was usually calm and collected, especially when dealing with soldiers, but the rest of the Shitennou was the exception. It was more of a brotherly love and bickering.

But eventually, even Kunzite couldn't resist Endymion's plea to follow his heart. One day after having scouted and cleared possible threats, Kunzite agreed to escort him to see Serenity in the forest outside of the palace. Fortunately, that was the day Venus accompanied Serenity to Earth. After that, Kunzite didn't seem to have any objection to him sneaking out to see Serenity. Well, as long as Kunzite got to see Venus, too.

Mamoru had wondered, many times, what it would be like if the Shitennou weren't killed by Metallia at the end of the battle and got to live their peaceful existences with them. It didn't seem fair that they never had the second (or third) chance at living normal lives.

Mamoru got back to his apartment. Sometimes he wished Usagi could stay with him. It would be so nice to come home and see her cheerful face. Her chipper spirit and chirping voice never failed to lift him up from gruesome days at the hospital. Mamoru walked into his bedroom, ready to take a shower when he glanced at his desk drawer. He tried to resist the temptation to open it but failed miserably. He pulled out the small wooden box from the drawer and put it on the desk. He sat down, looking forlornly at the box. He's always reluctant to call on them when there was no emergency. But tonight, he couldn't resist.

He opened the box, four stones glistering in the fluorescent light of his bedroom. He closed his eyes and focused his energy.

Four spirits manifested before him. "Master." They bowed with one hand laying diagonally across their chests.

"Nice to see you guys again," Mamoru said.

Kunzite had a worried expression. "Something wrong, Master?"

Mamoru chuckled. "What? I can't call on your guys if I didn't have any problems."

Jadeite stifled a laugh. Kunzite said, "You usually called on us when you faced new enemies."

"You can't blame him for jumping to this conclusion," Zoicite chimed in, he folded both arms together.

"It's always in dire circumstances that you called on us," he said with a mischievous grin.

"I know. But it's been peaceful for so long, and I missed you guys."

"Very flattering, Master," Nephrite said.

"We miss you too," Jadeite said with that boyish smile of his. Mamoru shook his head. Being sentimental with these guys always ended in a long, extensive bout of teasing.

"How have you been, Master?" Kunzite asked.

"I've told you many times. Call me Mamoru."

"That's a request we could not grant, I'm afraid. Old habits die hard," Nephrite said.

"Things are good. I'm in my last year in medical school now."

"That's good," Zoicite said and nodded.

Mamoru felt a twinge of guilt. He knew Zoicite wanted to be a doctor, had he not been his general.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to get you out and live normal lives."

Kunzite looked at Mamoru with a gentle expression. Probably only Endymion, the Shitennou, and Venus ever saw this caring, protective Kunzite.

"You say that every time you called on us. Things are as it should be, Master. We are atoning for our mistakes."

There was a moment of silence.

"How's …Mars?" Jadeite finally asked.

Mamoru smiled, but sadness prickled his heart.

"She's doing fine. Hasn't got a boyfriend yet." Mamoru grinned.

Jadeite rolled his eyes. "That's not what I was worried about, Master."

"Are you sure?" Zoicite chimed it, casting a wicked look at Jadeite.

Jadeite kept rolling his eyes and shook his head, probably irritated from being teased again. Being the youngest Shitennou, he was always the target of brotherly verbal (sometimes physical) attacks. Most of the time he didn't seem to mind, though.

"They are all doing fine. Pretty busy preparing for college."

"People at this era sure study a lot," Nephrite said.

"I know. We finished with our basic training, when we were like, what? Fourteen?" Zoicite said.

"There's a lot more knowledge to learn these days," Mamoru explained.

"I'm happy to hear the Senshi are doing well, Master," Kunzite said.

Mamoru nodded. Noticing the four spirits slowly faded, he knew it was time to say goodbye.

"Be well, Master. Know that we are always here for you." Kunzite said. With that, they all bowed again and disappeared.

Mamoru felt a mixture of gratitude and despair. He had four loyal friends, not disappearing from, but not entirely in his life, either.


	2. Chapter 2: Come Back to Me

Chapter 2: Come Back to Me

~Makoto~

"So you are thinking to apply for a culinary school?" Asanuma asked. They were strolling, side by side, along the street of Juuban. The last high school fall semester was creeping up on her. As it was their senior year, everyone seemed to be busy thinking and planning where to go after graduation. She had been evading this question for months. She hated that everyone had to ask what she wanted to do next. No one was genuinely interested in the answer anyway. Why did they have to make her feel pressured? She didn't buy into the myth that an 18-year-old should know what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives.

However, when Asanuma asked her this question, no anxiety surfaced. He always knew how to make her feel comfortable. This was his super-power. He might not be a warrior like she, but he had a way to make her feel calm and relaxed. She was forever grateful for having him in her life.

"Yep." she nodded. "I'm not good at studying, so why bother doing something I'm not good at."

"Not to mention you hate studying." Asanuma chuckled.

"I was getting to that." Makoto bumped her side into him, instantly regretting it seeing how much he was bumped away. She often forgot how strong she was.

"Plus, I love cooking, and I'd like to open a restaurant someday." She held the flat, black, leather school bag with both hands, bringing it to her chest, her eyes gazing at the sky.

"My parents would be proud."

Asanuma put his hand on her shoulder, her eyes darting back to him. He gave her a gentle smile.

"I'm sure they are already proud of you," he said with his deep voice. Sometimes she wondered when Asanuma had changed so much from the lanky boy she knew when she started her Sailor Senshi journey to the sophisticated young man he was now.

"What about you? Have you been thinking about college?" she asked, knowing him to be the well-prepared type.

He nodded. "I want to go to college, majoring in business." His gentle eyes fixed on her gaze. "Maybe I will be the partner for your restaurant someday, Makoto." She noticed his eyes and demeanor shifted to being playful. She knew he was trying to play it off as a joke, but he was serious.

"Oh good. I need someone to handle the money side." She played along, not wanting the conversation to turn serious. "I can't do the math for the life of me." she chuckled.

All of a sudden, the wind blew harshly. Countless brown leaves were twirling along with the wind. She narrowed her eyes to avoid the dust. He looked upward, seeing the sky turning grey. Heavy, dark clouds formed above the city.

"I'll walk you home. We should hurry before it rains."

She nodded, hurrying her steps. Being Sailor Jupiter whose power was wielding thunderbolts, she never minded heavy rain or even a thunderstorm. They were all parts of her element, but she was not immune to the common cold.

Still walking, Makoto felt thick raindrops on her head. She grabbed the green, rose-patterned umbrella from her bag. As the umbrella clicked and fully extended, she felt something.

Someone.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Her brain tuned out all the street noises and the sounds of raindrops thrumming the pavement.

She saw a guy dashing from the sidewalk to the building, probably trying to find shelter from the rain. His long, wavy, brown hair reminded her of Nephrite. The guy was still far away, but her instinct told her it had to be him.

Makoto sprinted toward where she saw him, causing her umbrella to fall out of her hand. She didn't care. Nothing else mattered at this moment.

She felt splashes of water touching her legs every time her feet hit the road, but the adrenaline caused her not to bother. She was running so quickly that she started to pant now. "Where is he?" she mumbled as she continued rushing down the street.

She stopped at in front of the alley she saw him getting in. Turning her head left and right, looking for him, but she couldn't find him. Was she hallucinating?

Having calmed down a bit, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Mako-chan, are you ok?" She completely forgot Asanuma was with her. His eyes followed her gaze to the alley.

"Oh, nothing." She turned to look at him. "I thought I saw someone I knew."

"You're soaking wet, Mako-chan. Let's go home before you catch a cold." He handed her the umbrella and gestured her to follow him.

Her eyes still lingered in the empty alleyway. She gave up and turned to Asanuma. "Let's go," she said, trying to hide the disappointment in her face.

~Rei~

The flames danced swiftly left and right. No discernible patterns. Tonight, the sounds of the wood crackling, which were usually soothing, were a relentless distraction. Rei tried to force her vision solely on the fire. The flames. The white-hot flames. The heat radiating and touching upon her skin was no longer a comfort, but a torture. Sweats started forming. Some escaped and ran along her face. She felt beads of sweat rolling down her back. Her mind drifted. She closed her eyes, trying to bring her attention back to the fire.

Rei had not had troubles concentrating on fire readings in years. She assumed she had mastered it. Apparently, she had much more to learn. She wondered what made her feel so scattered. Could it be new enemies? Her body tensed with that thought.

Rei stepped outside to take a break. Once the cold breeze of the night hit her, she realized how exhausted she was. She walked outside. The empty shrine courtyard gave her calmness and peace she desperately needed. She did not bother putting on a jacket because she needed the chill to placate her fire.

Chaos filled tonight's fire. She was unsure if the fire showed the prediction of the future or she was merely too unfocused to read it. She hadn't felt this uncentered in ages. Tired of years of fighting, she hoped it was the latter.

She stood still in the courtyard, arms crossed over her chest. The sounds of cicadas humming and occasional passing cars whooshing from afar provided the rhythmic comfort of normal suburban lives. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She saw him. Jadeite. She had not thought of him for so long. During the year following the battle with Metallia, she thought of him constantly. In her dreams. In her fire readings. All the time. And the pain always prickled her.

Forgetting him got easier over the years. Last year, she thought she finally succeeded in pushing him out of her mind. But now he came back, like a ghost taunting to keep haunting her. Forever.

No.

This time she sensed something different. She felt his presence nearby, waiting to emerge. But he was dead. Her logical mind kept telling her that. Still, deep down in her heart, she had a hope, a little ray of hope she assumed she had crushed long ago. The hope that he would come back to her.

The one thing she disliked about reading the fire was uncertainty. She could sense the energy of future events but couldn't tell exactly what would happen.

Her vision of him could mean Jadeite reincarnated as a person. Or his spirit form communicating with her. Or it could just be an event forcing her to confront and let go of her attachment to him. She did not know. The only thing she could be sure was he would reappear in her life soon, in some way.

Even though she did not want to let him go, she was not ready to meet him again either.

Not yet.


	3. Chapter 3

Name

Kunzite - Ken

Nephrite - Nobu

Zoicite -Sora

Jadeite - Junichi

Chapter 3

~Sora~

Sora walked through the library, researching for the history paper, which was due tomorrow. He shuffled through shelves after shelves of books to no avail. He looked out the window. Damn! No wonder it's so hard to work. Such a great weather outside. But he needed to work on his history paper. He honestly couldn't care less what grade he'd get because he knew he wanted to go to an art school. Surely, history would not be helpful. But he still needed to graduate high school.

He was so desperate. Otherwise, there's no way he'd spend a Saturday in the library, especially on a sunny day like this. He put another book back on the shelf, walking aimlessly through the library. He hated the library. So stuffy and quiet. His free spirit felt trapped and suffocated here.

He kept walking and then he noticed her. The blue-haired girl. The one who won the national youth chess championship at his school two months ago.

He didn't care for chess, but he went to the match because his moron homeroom teacher made everyone in the class go. His teacher was like "You have to support your classmate." Yeah, right. However, it turned out to be entertaining because this girl totally humiliated Riku. Sora remembered he and his other classmates had a long laugh about that until today.

She sat in the other section of the floor, but he could still see her. Without really thinking, he pulled out a chair and sat on the opposite end of the floor. He still had a history book in his hand. So he opened it and tried to read, but his eyes kept darting to the petite girl.

After five minutes of an unsuccessful attempt at reading, he pulled out his sketchbook and started drawing her. He told himself he was just doodling. He did that all the time when he was thinking or doing homework. It wasn't weird, was it?

She looked frustrated. Still cute, though. At the match, she appeared laser-focused, a total opposite of today. She switched books and sighed a lot, probably having one of those unproductive days like he was.

Amidst those thoughts, he looked down and saw his sketch of her was done. Not bad.

She put on her headphones, adjusted her glasses and sighed yet again. He knew he's gotta talk to her.

He shoved his notebook back in his messenger bag, putting the strap over his head, resting it on his right side. Then walked up to her.

~Ami~

Ami was reading at the library, concentrating on the book, but nothing clicked. This was unusual for her. Lately, she's having a difficult time concentrating. She put on her headphones, plugged it into her cell phone and turned on the classical music. This usually did the trick.

However, after 20 minutes, she decided to give up. Maybe she should do something else instead. She wished everyone wasn't so busy. Today would have been a perfect time to study with the girls. It had been peaceful for the past two years. They all had normal high-school girl lives, which she appreciated, but it also meant they didn't have time to hang out as often as they used to.

She turned to her laptop, starting to proofread her paper. At least, she didn't have to think as much.

Still, her mind kept drifting to dozens of things. But one thing she never expected to show up in her mind was Zoicite. How would their lives have been if he was still here after the fight with Mettalia?

"Excuse me."

Ami jolted. She glanced away from her computer to look at the guy in front of her.

He had his long, sandy brown hair pulled back in a ponytail hanging behind his neck. His skin milky white, emphasizing his green eyes. Only one guy she knew whose look could beat girls' beauty. _Zoicite_.

She was certain her face went pale. Was she dreaming this up? She tried to remain calm, at least making sure her expression remained normal. Well, normal as it could be when a cute, strange boy talked to her. Hoped he noticed nothing deeper than that.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Ami still stared at him for a moment until she shook her head and got herself out of her daze.

"No. That's ok."

The boy had a messenger bag clinging to his right side. He was wearing a casual T-shirt and ankle-length, ripped jeans, looking relaxed and carefree. Unlike Zoicite at all.

"Mizuno Ami, right?"

"Do I know you?"

"Probably not. I'm Sora from Juuban Academy of Yamaguchi University. I saw you competed in the chess championship at our school."

"Oh! Yes, about two months ago." The competition was held at the all-boys private high school. The school was upscale and luxurious with a sizable auditorium equipped with state-of-the-art facility perfect for hosting chess tournaments.

He gestured at the empty chair across from her. "May I?"

She nodded slowly.

He grabbed a chair, pulled it out quickly and sat down. He took off his bag and put it on the chair next to him.

"I'm your biggest fan."

"Thank you." Ami tugged a strand of hair behind her ear, nodded and lowered her eyes to the table. She's never used to getting compliments.

"The way you beat Riku was awesome. The best thing ever."

He seemed so energetic and animated. Wasn't Zoicite usually composed and reserved?

Ami couldn't help but stare at Sora. How could he look like Zoicite yet act so differently?

"I should explain. I don't like putting people down or anything. Riku was a great chess player, but he was such a brag. Always rambling about how good he was. So when you beat him like that, everyone got a big kick out of it."

Ami suppressed her giggle. She didn't realize her victory could cause such a funny scenario. She did remember Riku to be cocky and a little arrogant, so it didn't surprise her.

Sora's eyes darted to many books spread out in front of her. In Ami's attempt to focus, she had switched to read so many different books, now all scattered on the table.

"Sorry, I'm interrupting. I will leave you to your study." He was preparing to get up.

"Wait." Sora fixed his gaze with hers. She suddenly realized she didn't know what to say.

"Hm, I'm kind of tired from studying already." What should she say next?

"You mean I can sit here and talk to you for a little bit?" He smiled.

She nodded. Her analytical mind started to come up with millions of questions to find out his connection to Zoicite.

He sat down and said, "Thanks."

—

AN: Thank you everyone for reading.

SilverMoonFlower18: Glad you like the story so far.

Astraearose-silvermoon: Congratulations on your baby! Hope you are doing well too.

i1976 - blu notte: Thank you. Hope you like this chapter too.

KageNoNeko : Thank you. Next will be Minako's.


	4. Chapter 4

~Minako~

"Welcome home," Minako said with her usual, bubbly voice.

Minako rushed in and hugged her mom.

"I missed you too, sunshine." Her mom hugged her back tightly.

Her dad came in not far behind with two giant suitcases in his hands. He set them down and hugged both Minako and her mom together. When they parted, her dad touched Minako's shoulders with a gleam in his eyes. "I can't believe my little girl is a beautiful young woman now. Time flies."

Minako smiled at him. Compliments from her dad were rare.

"I'm sorry we were away for so long, Minako. I hate leaving you alone here," her mom apologized

Minako used to it by now. Her dad was a Japanese ambassador in the U.K. They wanted Minako to stay in London, but Minako opted to stay in Tokyo since the eighth grade. Her mom came to visit from time to time, but she didn't see her father very often.

"Don't apologize, mom. I'm just glad you are here. Are you two hungry? I prepared lots of Japanese food!"

"Wow! You cook now, Minako?" Her dad asked.

"Yeah, like that'd ever happen." Minako snorted. "Makoto made them. I only heated them up."

Her parents sat down at the table, while Minako walked around, serving them a bowl of hot rice fresh from the rice cooker.

"We're so glad you have such good friends," her dad said.

"Yes, they are all very nice. How are they doing?" Her mom asked.

Minako sat down and scooted her chair closer to the table. "Ami already got a few offers to med schools, but she's going to take the entrance exams anyway. To widen her options, I guess. Usagi is as cheerful as usual. She wants to be a kindergarten teacher, so she has been volunteering there. Rei is set on business management. Mako-chan wants to go to culinary school."

"What about you, sunshine?" Her dad asked, his lips just parted with the spoon.

Mina shrugged. "I want to study communication. I want to go to Yamaguchi University. They have their own broadcast channel."

"That's a good goal, Mina," her father said, his voice serious.

"But?" Mina asked, knowing her father would say something beyond that. Her father always worried about her grades. It made sense he would worry about how she would pass the entrance exam too. Even though she didn't do well academically, Minako thought she would make it to the university just fine.

"Have you made any plan about how to tackle the entrance exam?" Her father put down his chopsticks, staring at her. Minako didn't like to have this conversation. They just got here. She wished her parents would have waited a little longer before springing this intense interrogation on her.

"Ami's tutoring me. She got the best score on the mock test last year. I'm in good hands, dad." Minako reached out her chopsticks to pick up the fish in the middle of the table.

"Great, Minako." Her father smiled. Mentioning Ami helped ease her father's worry, not that it was a lie. Ami did tutor her. Hard. Almost torturous.

Her father continued eating. "Oh, since you mentioned Yamaguchi University. My friend's son studies communication major there. Maybe you can talk to him and see if you like the program."

"Usagi's fiancé already showed me the school, dad."

"But he's in medical school, right? You should talk to someone in communication," her mother chimed in.

Minako shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"So how long are you two staying this time?" Minako used chopsticks to pop a piece of teriyaki chicken in her mouth.

"Two weeks," her mom answered.

"Two weeks!" Minako squealed, her eyes sparkling. Usually, her parents stayed for 2-3 days.

"We have to go shopping together, Mom!" She laced her hand around her mom's elbow. Minako had missed spending time with her mother. Plus, she loved shopping with her mom, who not only had the best fashion sense but also liked to shower her daughter with expensive clothes.

"Sure, sweetie. Let's do that." Her mom nodded, smiling from ear to ear. Her mom had the most charming smile.

"Yeah!" Minako clapped and leaned back in her own chair.

"How about you two go shopping tomorrow afternoon?" Her dad pointed his chopsticks back and forth between her mom and her. "Then we meet at The French Table for dinner with the Nakamuras and their son?"

"Sounds great, dear." her mother said. Minako wasn't even listening anymore. She was picturing the perfect mother-daughter day at the mall. Tomorrow would be a great day.

—

"Oh Dear, we are late," her mother said, looking at her watch.

"Just 15 minutes, mom. Relax. We couldn't pass up the sale. How often does LV have a sale?" Minako grinned.

Her mother shook her head and chuckled. "We don't want our guests to wait, sweetie."

"I'm sure they are having a good time talking to dad."

They both walked into the restaurant. Her mother mumbled her last name to the host. Minako surveyed the place because she's never been here before. It's a French style restaurant. Upscale. She knew her parents did fine dining all the time because of his job, but off- duty, they usually opted for more casual restaurants. The Nakamuras must be a big deal.

The host led them to the table. Minako spotted her dad already sitting at the table, his head facing them. From the back, she saw a couple, a man with a blonde hair with a few white streaks and a petite woman with a short black hair.

Her dad stood up, walking to her mom. He gently put his hand around her mother's back.

"Minako meet Masaru and Akira Nakamura.

"Nice to meet you." She bowed to them and sat down.

"Ken was just parking. He should be here shortly." said. "Oh, here he is now." he gestured to a young man walking toward their table.

Her eyes widened, fingers touching her parted lips. _Kunzite._

Time slowed around him. As he's walking toward her, she saw Kunzite in his general uniform, with his gentle, loving gaze. How he was before the nasty things happened.

Minako realized she was surrounded by her parents and a couple of strangers. She took a long deep breath, trying to calm her throbbing heart. She squeezed her eyes shut and slowly opened them. Ken had long silver hair and broad shoulders. He was so tall he's towering over everyone at the table, and probably over everyone at the whole restaurant. Everyone glanced at him when he walked in. Of course, he still drew attention everywhere he went. Just like in the old days.

But this guy seemed different from Kunzite somehow. Despite having the same look, Ken did not command the room the way Kunzite did. Yes, people looked at him because of his tall, muscular physique and stunning face, but his demeanor did not project confidence or authoritativeness. That threw her off a little. The chemistry was not the same.

Ken arrived at the table and bowed to her parents.

"This is our son, Ken," Mr. Nakamura said.

"Nice to meet you again, Ken," her father said.

Wait. Did dad say again?

"This is our daughter, Minako." Her mom touched her shoulders and nudged her slightly forward.

"Hi. Aino Minako. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to see you, Minako." His smile was warm and familiar, making the bittersweet memories resurface.

Ken sat down directly across from Minako. Her head was still swirling from seeing Kunzite again. Was he Kunzite? Maybe his reincarnation? Did he remember anything at all?

About Silver Millennium?

About Dark Kingdom?

About them?

Food was served, course by course. Minako liked French food, but sometimes all these formalities made her feel strangled

"You've grown to be such a beautiful woman, Minako," Mrs. Nakamura said and looked at Minako.

Despite not remembering meeting Mrs. Nakamura, Minako answered, "You are too kind, Mrs. Nakamura." She might not be naturally graceful, but Minako knew how to be a 'proper' diplomat's daughter.

"Seriously. The last time we saw you, you were." Mrs. Nakamura looked at Ken. "About six, I think?"

"Five," Ken said without looking at his mother, forking a piece of steak into his mouth.

"Right. Five." Mrs. Nakamura said.

Wait. She'd met Ken before?

"Do you remember, Minako?" Mrs. Nakamura asked.

Minako shook her head. "No. I don't think so." She would have remembered meeting Ken.

"You were so young. You wouldn't remember, dear," her mother said.

"I remember," Ken said, looking at me.

Her heart dropped to my ankle. So we had met.

Math was not her forte, but quickly she calculated. That's nine years before the fight with the Dark Kingdom.

"You looked handsome even then, Ken," her mother said.

How could this happen? If her parents knew Ken before the Dark Kingdom, then who was Kunzite she fought?

"My parents said you're a senior in college?" Minako asked Ken.

"Yes, I study Communication at Yamaguchi University."

"Which high school did you go to?" she asked.

"Tokyo International Academy."

He was here in Tokyo? No way.

"Was there anything… interesting happened that year?" Minako asked.

Ken was making this weird expression. That was probably a strange thing to ask someone you just met. She should have been more subtle.

When Ken remained quiet, she said, "I'm a senior in high school. People always say all interesting and memorable things happened in a senior year."

Ken said, "Oh right." He shrugged. "I guess senior year is eventful for most people. It wasn't that interesting for me though."

"What happened?" Minako leaned in, hoping she was on to something.

"Nothing." He stared at me, his face impassive "That's why it's not interesting."

"Right." Was he getting mad? His tone wasn't angry though. Just indifferent.

Minako was determined to find out more about Ken, firing one question after another. Probably looking like an interview by now but she didn't care. She had to know who this guy was.

Her mother glanced at her. Shoot. Maybe that came off a little rude.

"You are really talkative today, Minako." That's the code for talking too much and for her to shut up.

Minako turned to her mother. "Sorry, mother."  
Minako felt his eyes on her. She swiftly turned to Ken, but he quickly averted his gaze and looked down at his plate.

Kunzite would never do that. He never avoided her gaze.

Before she knew it, the dinner was over. Damn it. She had to figure out how to see Ken again.

While her parents were walking from the table, Minako hung back and approached Ken.

"Could you show me around campus? I'd love to see it." That was a lie. Mamoru already showed her the campus, but she needed a cover-up to meet him again. Well, maybe not a total lie. She wanted to see the campus. With him.

"Sure." He nodded. He didn't say much, did he? That was like Kunzite.

She handed him her number scribbled on a napkin. She was prepared. "Here's my number. Let me know when you are free."

He searched left and right, looking for something to write on. Minako quickly pulled her phone. "Tell me."

He told her his number, and she punched it quickly into her contact.

"Thanks. Hope I'll see you soon." She tried to smile as charmingly as possible.

He nodded and followed his parents. Still with a grim expression.

She felt a little rejected. Unless he was a good actor, he did not remember her at all.

And even if he didn't remember, had she lost her charm? Minako was used to boys chasing after her Why was Ken so disinterested? Had she lost her charm to the person who might matter the most?

—

Minako sat in the living room. Her parents went out to meet their friends, so she's alone in the house. Again.

Sunday night was never Minako's favorite. The dread of going to school the next day always filled her with anxiety. Sure, she liked seeing her friends, but since started her senior year, teachers seemed to give out more homework and assignment. She wished she could have more fun in her last year as a high school student, but that's not how teachers saw it, apparently.

Tonight, though, her usual dread was replaced by the thought of Ken. Meeting him yesterday was unexpected. She didn't know what to think of him.

What did she learn about him yesterday?

They met when they were little. She didn't even remember that.

He had lived a normal life. Normal.

So how could he be Kunzite? She fought Kunzite, the Dark Kingdom Kunzite, four years ago. If Ken was telling the truth, which she believed he was, he had an uneventful life. Living with his parents. Going to high school. She even asked her parents about him after the dinner. Her mother said she remembered seeing Ken at a benefit when he was a high school senior. This made the possibility of Ken being Kunzite even lower.

She didn't believe it was a coincidence though. Two people looked exactly alike. That's no coincidence.

But she had seen viral pictures on the internet showing people looking like celebrities without family connections. Could this be a case like that?

Maybe Ken had a twin who was abducted at birth? She shoved at that thought. She must have been watching too much drama.

Artemis was lying on the couch, napping. His body coiled up, his front legs folded. Tonight was a little too cold for him.

Minako folded her legs and hugged her knees, looking at her feline companion. Being able to talk to Artemis about this would have been nice. He would have something wise to say.

But she couldn't share this with him. Not yet.

Artemis never warmed up to Kunzite. Not even as Endymion's General Kunzite. When she fought with the Dark Kingdom Kunzite four years ago, Artemis did everything to remind her how Kunzite had betrayed her in the past. Of course, she didn't listen. She tried to awake Kunzite from Metallia's power and back to his old self. And she succeeded. Only to for Metallia to kill him seconds later.

Artemis was protective of her. For that, Minako was grateful.

Maybe Artemis was right. He did betray her. More than once.

Back on Silver Millenium, she was forced to mature quickly because of the weight of being the senshi leader.

She was cautious and vigilant, yet she placed her trust in the person she shouldn't have. She was less mad about Kunzite betraying her than about her being stupid enough to trust him in the first place.

Being a descent of the Goddess of love had its drawback.

Maybe she should be more careful this time.

Minako sighed. The reruns on TV no longer held her attention. But the noise kept her company and quelled her chaotic thoughts.

Her phone rang. Minako walked to her phone sitting on the dining table. Artemis lifted his head following the sound, but when he saw her getting up to get the phone, he rested his head back on the sofa.

She saw the caller. Ken.

"Hello."

"Hi." He sounded nervous.

"Hello." She knew it was Ken, but she wanted him to say something first.

"Hi. It's Ken."

"Hi, Ken.

"Hmm." A slight pause. Really? Was she that intimidating?

"Are you free tomorrow after school? I can show you around campus."

"Sure." She found herself nodded even if he couldn't see her.

"Then maybe we could have tea or something?" He sure sounded nervous. Kunzite was never nervous

"Sounds great." She smiled, hoping that would ease his anxiety.

"Hmm. I'll pick you up at school then. Around 3.30?"

"Sure."

She hung up the phone and put it back on the table.

 _It's ok, Minako. It's ok._

 _You would be careful this time._

—

~Ken~

Ken hung up the phone. What did he just do? He rested his elbows on his knees, hanging his head low. He shook his head repeatedly and sighed.

Hadn't he gotten hurt enough this year? Getting dumped by Reiko, his high-school sweetheart was more difficult than he let on. To his friends, he seemed fine, but his heart was filled with bottomless grief. He swore not to date anyone for a while. He had lost interest in love. More accurately, in the concept of love.

He was doing well. For the most part. He knew he was quite popular. Maybe not in a traditional lady-man sense. He was reserved and quiet, not the type of guy going around talking to lots of girls, but he knew many girls swooned over him. He got asked out all the time even when he still had a girlfriend. His friend said girls wanted him even more because he always acted cool.

"I didn't try to act cool. I'm really not interested." Ken recalled what he said to his friend.

But Minako was different. He couldn't put the finger on it. Something different. His intellectual mind told him what a bad idea this was. Minako was charming, beautiful and know how to handle men. Much like Reiko, precisely the type of girls not reluctant to break his heart.

But his heart told him to take care of Minako, to protect her and cherish her.

His heart just won. He already called her.

He still remembered the last time he saw her when he was nine years old. He felt it even then, the urge to take care of her and to protect her. But he shrugged it off as seeing her as his little sister. It was just a silly kid thought anyway.

Meeting her today had unearthed that forgotten feeling.

He had to see her again.

He had to.

—

AN. I didn't expect this chapter to be long. I hope you enjoy Minako/Ken scenes here. I'd love to hear what you think.

i1976 - blu notte : Thank you for reading. I'm so glad you like it.

SilverMoonFlower18 : I want to change their guys' personalities a bit. I find it fascinating that even though there were not many portrayals of shitennou's personalities in the manga or anime, most fanfics have them written in pretty much the same ways (including my previous story, Memory trap). I'm curious how it would turn out if I write them a little different. But trust me, it'll make sense later in the story.

godess bubbles: You're so close.

Guest: Thank you. I will finish this story. I like to finish what I started.


	5. Chapter 5

~Rei~

The school bell rang promptly at 3. Rei hurried out of the classroom. She dashed past a throng of fellow students. Some glared at her, but she didn't care. Grandpa needed to go to the hospital for a check-up, which he wasn't thrilled about. She had to make sure grandpa actually go and took care of the shrine in his place.

Students were pouring out of the school gate. On Friday's afternoon, nobody wanted to remain at school later than they had to. She strode toward the school entrance.

Her thought wandered to last night vision from the fire reading. _Jadeite._

Something was coming.

He was coming.

That much she was certain. But would it be the real him? Or merely something to remind her of him? The latter would be painful, but more likely. She was not the one dreaming of something impossible.

She knew it in her heart she had to let go of him eventually. Maybe she should get it over with, so she could start anew.

The wind howled, awakening her out of the mind cage she created. Then she spotted him. _Jadeite._ Right in front of her.

She gasped, her gait halting. He was walking toward her.

Her body tensed, her breaths shortened. Heat filled her body as if a fire had engulfed her. A flash of relief washed over. He was coming back to her after all. The real him.

But the time of respite was short. He walked past her, not even sparing a glance in her direction. The swift wind from his movement stroked her body.

Rei turned her head and saw him walking toward a girl from her school, Miwako. A junior in her club.

Miwako ran into his arms, and he hugged her. Thorns prickled her heart. Her back slumped as if an ice arrow pierced through her.

After pushing her shock away, she studied him. He wore a private school uniform. The elite all-boy high school locating just a block from her school. His short, sandy blonde hair fluttering along with the spring wind, intense dark blue eyes focusing on Miwako. His clothes snugged around his body, accentuating his fit, lean build. His appearance screamed Jadeite.

Rei frowned and bit her lips. With everything they had been through, even without memories, he should have felt their connection.

Their bond.

Their vow.

He and Miwako walked toward a black motorcycle, adorned with fiery red front fender and side panes. He hopped on it. Miwako raised the hem of her skirt and sat behind him. With her arms around his waist and her head resting on his back, it was apparent they were lovers. In a few seconds, they were gone.

The pain and confusion still lingered, but the thought of her grandpa flashed in her mind. She shook her head, composing herself. She could ask Miwako about him later. Now grandpa was waiting for her.

* * *

"Grandpa, you have to go to the doctor," Rei said to him.

"I look ok, don't I? Can't you tell I'm perfectly healthy?" he said.

Rei planted her hands on her hip. "Just because there is no sign, doesn't mean there's nothing wrong, grandpa. You remember mo…" She stopped mid-sentence.

Grandpa probably knew what she almost slipped out. Both her grandmother and mother died from cancer, and they both showed no outward symptoms until it was too late.

She understood why grandpa hated going to the doctor.

But having already lost two of her loved ones, she's not about to lose grandpa, too. At least not any time soon if she could help it.

"Grandpa, you have to go now. The cab is waiting downstairs," her voice got louder.

"I just went to the doctor. I don't need to go again." Her grandpa crossed his arms, like a little boy refusing to do his homework.

"That was two years ago!"

"I promise you, I'll go if something's wrong," he pleaded. He uncrossed his arms and sat down.

Rei sighed and sat down beside him.

"Grandpa, please. I understand you are anxious about seeing a doctor. But it's only a check-up. Everything's going to be fine."

"If everything's going to be fine, then I don't have to go."

"You're being unreasonable," she said.

He remained quiet. He knew he was unreasonable but still wouldn't budge.

She touched his shoulder. "Do you want me to close up the shrine and go with you?"

He shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous."

"You _do_ know I won't let you get out of this," she said, eyes brimming with conviction.

He sighed but flashed a small smile. "I know."

"I have no one else, grandpa. I need you," Rei said.

His face showed he was still calculating but close to giving in.

She leaned closer to him. "I want to make your dream come true, grandpa."

"Giving you away at your wedding?"

She nodded. "But you have to be healthy enough until that day comes." She smiled at him.

He sighed, hauling himself up. "Fine."

She got up and walked him down to the cab waiting downstairs.

"I'll call the doctor and check your results."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not a child. You don't need to check up on me."

She chuckled. "You know very well I need to."

He shook his head but smiled before getting in the cab.

* * *

Rei changed into her shrine maiden uniform. Now that she already took care of grandpa, her thoughts drifted to her shitennou.

Jadeite was here. He was here.

And he had a girlfriend.

Rei tried to quell the flames in her heart by cleaning the shrine courtyard, focusing her mind on the simple act of sweeping. So far, it hadn't worked.

She didn't know what hurt more. That he came back. Or that he had another girl.

It was ridiculous, she knew. He probably did not remember his past life as a shitennou. If he was, in fact, Jadeite reincarnated, he was sure not to remember anything.

She couldn't help feeling hurt, though, seeing him with another girl.

Jadeite had never done that. His loyalty to her was remarkable, except for when he was controlled by Metallia, of course.

He might have killed her in her past life.

But he would _never_ be with another girl.

* * *

Several groups of school girls arrived at the shrine. Most of them came to get lucky charms as usual. Rei went to the booth where she sold charms. She was glad to get funding to support the shrine.

She had sold several study and love charms already. Not surprising. Love charms always do well. And the midterm's coming up soon.

Rei turned to handle money in the back, leaving the front of the booth open for a second.

"Hi, Rei." Miwako's chirping voice.

Rei turned to face her junior, plastering a smile on her face. If Miwako was here, did it mean he was here too?

"Hi, Miwako. Glad to see you here."

"Could I get a love charm?" Miwako blushed. She was so easy to read.

"Sure, there are a few different ones." Rei leaned slightly over to show Miwako several types of lucky charms on display.

"This set is one of our most popular love charms. A set comes with two charms. The blue one for a guy and the red one for a girl."

"They look really nice. I'll take them."

Rei handed the charms to Miwako.

"Thank you, Rei."

Miwako was practically skipping to him standing nearby. He had his hands in his pocket, looking curiously at the shrine's surroundings.

 _Jadeite_.

Miwako pointed at Rei, his gaze followed her finger.

 _Please don't come here. Please don't me here._ Rei wasn't sure she could handle talking to him yet.

Unfortunately, her pray didn't work. They both walked up to her.

Rei tried to remain calm. It wasn't hard for her to appear undisturbed. She wasn't like Usagi or Makoto whose expressions conveyed all their thoughts and feelings. But to stay calm inside, that's difficult for her as much as it was for everyone else. Maybe even more onerous because of her fire nature.

"Rei, this is my boyfriend, Junichi. Jun, this is Hino Rei, a senior in my club." Miwako had her arm laced around Junichi's.

Junichi bowed his head, arm still linking with Miwako's.

His smile was tantalizing. A little crooked. Playful. Inviting.

"Miwako talked about you a lot," he said.

"Good things, I hope."

"She adores you. You're her role model."

"Stop it, Jun. You're embarrassing me." Miwako playfully punched his arm.

Rei just smiled at Miwako. She didn't want to look at Junichi, afraid her facial expression would betray her.

"Thank you for the charms, Miss Hino," he said to her, looking straight into her eyes. She doubted any girl could resist this look. She's mad she was no exception.

His eyes darted to the donation box. He pulled out a thick fold of cash and put it in the box.

Rei gaped. That was a lot of money. Was he trying to impress her or Miwako? Either way, the gesture made her angry than grateful. Rei hated men using money to get their ways, especially with women.

Or maybe he genuinely wanted to help her out?

He looked at Rei, a long, intense stare and gave her his signature smile. _Is he flirting with me while he was on a date with Miwako?_

"Thank you." That was all Rei managed to say.

Rei felt Miwako's eyes on the tension between her and Junichi.

"I'll see you at school, Rei." Miwako tugged on Junichi's arm. He turned to smile at Miwako.

They turned their backs on her and headed to the exit. Miwako rested her head on his arm. The gesture was too painful for her to see.

But Rei couldn't help but stare at them as they walked away. She let the blazing fire consume her. Rei felt her whole body heated up, the flood of emotions filled her. Rage. Passion. Longing.

He looked back swiftly, catching her gaze. Rei quickly turned away and looked down at the booth counter.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw him turned back. They both walked down the stairs.

 _Junichi. Jadeite._

With another girl.

With Miwako whom she loved like a little sister.

This would not end well.

* * *

~Junichi~

Junichi didn't care much for superstitions like lucky charms. If they had worked, why was this world such a mess?

But Miwako seemed excited about it, so he humored her.

"The love charms at Hikawa shrine are so famous. People come from all over the country to get them. Sometimes I even saw foreigners there."

But how effective were they? Nobody cared about that. People just needed hopes. Whatever gave them hopes were all that mattered. He didn't care much about hope and faith. Hope is just an optimists' term for wishful thinking. His parents said he was too gloomy. Well, with what he had been through, how could he not be?

Miwako laced her arm around his. He looked and smiled at her. She gave back a big smile.

She was cute and cheerful. Just what he needed right now.

They walked up the shrine. He never understood why shrines and temples had to be on high hills where the only way to enter was walking up hundreds, if not thousands of steps. If they wanted to help people, shouldn't they be more accessible?

That was a morbid thought, he knew, but he couldn't help it. Logically, he knew shrines and temples had to be away from the crowds if they were to offer peace and quietness. Still, it seemed ridiculous to set up shrines and temples away from people in order to help people.

He waited in the courtyard, while Miwako ran to the booth. He had no interest in going near the shrine.

But this place gave out a different vibe than other ones he had been to, not that he had been to many. Mostly with his parents on New Years. But he felt different here somehow.

Miwako rushed back and showed him a pair of blue and red charms. She handed him the blue one.

"The shrine maiden working here is my senior at school, Hino Rei."

"The one you're always talking about?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Rei's the best. She's so graceful. Everything she does is perfect."

He shook his head. Miwako was so naïve. Such an innocent girl. She would learn soon enough that nobody is senior of hers would one day disappoint her.

Just like how everyone else disappointed him.

He shoved that thought away. He didn't want to think about his life. He was on a date to cheer himself up, not to wallow in his crappy life.

He focused his mind back on Miwako. This girl was too naïve than he thought. Hope she wouldn't be too hurt when he broke her heart.

"Rei, this is my boyfriend, Junichi. Jun, this is Hino Rei, a senior in my club."

He shrugged off the mention of him as her boyfriend. We've been on four dates, and she called him her boyfriend? Really?

His thought about Miwako stopped once he looked at Rei. She was beautiful and graceful like Miwako said. Her long black hair, shining under the sunlight. Even standing in the booth, she glowed. But her gaze was deadly, like an intense flame ready to destroy everything in her way.

Meaningless pleasantry was exchanged. Honestly, he didn't remember what he said. He mostly looked at her and tried to be aware of thoughts in his head.

Such an intriguing beauty. This would not be the last time he saw her. He would make it so.

He pulled out a generous amount of cash and put it in the donation box. He usually did not believe in supporting shrines and temples, but he wanted to help her out. From what he gathered observing the shrine, it seemed like they could use some money. And maybe he could impress her at the same time?

His gaze fixed on her. She looked puzzled. Annoyed? Angry? He thought she would be moved and appreciative. He shrugged at the thought. It didn't matter. As long as she remembered him.

Miwako tugged his arm to walk to the direction of the entrance. Miwako laced her arm around his again.

He suddenly remembered he was one a date with Miwako.

"Come on, baby. Let's ride to the beach." Girls love going to the beach.

Miwako leaned her head against his arm.

He looked back at Rei, catching her gaze.

He hoped that gaze was for him.

And him alone.

* * *

AN. Thank you everyone for reading. Your comments give me a lot of motivation to continue.

Astraearose-silvermoon : When you finished a chapter, let me know. I'd love to read your story.

JBokan : Glad you liked Kunzite/Minako. I love writing her with her parents. We didn't see much of her home life in anime.

SilverMoonFlower18 : Hope you like this one. It's Rei/Jadeite like you predicted. My favorite is Makoto/Nephrite but still couldn't finish their chapter, lol.

godess bubbles : You'll see very soon who they are. ;)

KageNoNeko : They have to talk to each other soon, right? Given all the exciting things that happened.


	6. Chapter 6

~Makoto~

Makoto felt great today. She's starting her first job. It was only a part-time help at a small bakery, but for her, it's a huge opportunity. Mainly she would be waiting tables, but she would help in the kitchen when they had several advanced orders. That part mattered to her. She longed work in the food industry professionally. She couldn't wait to finish high school and use her cooking and baking skills.

Plus, Makoto loved Mrs. Ito, her neighbor at her apartment. Makoto baked them some cookies and cakes to welcome her and her family when they moved in. Mrs. Ito had been praising Makoto's food ever since. Now that Mrs. Ito's bakery was doing well, she asked Makoto to help out on weekends. Makoto didn't think twice before accepting the job.

On Saturday, the bakery opened at 6 o'clock, but Makoto had to be there before 5 in the morning.

"Good Morning, Makoto," Mrs. Ito greeted her. The bakery was still family-run. Only Mr. and Mrs. Ito and their daughter, Hina, worked at the store.

"Morning, Makoto. Lovely to have you here." Mrs. Ito embraced Makoto tightly. She had been treating Makoto like her family. Over time Makoto had come to respect this kind, generous lady almost as her own mother.

"Hina will help you get familiar with our store," Mrs. Ito said and led Makoto to her daughter.

"Good morning, Hina." Hina was merely a few years older, but Makoto held her in high respect.

Hina showed Makoto around the bakery. After a few instructions, Makoto put on her apron and started preparing for her first shift.

"We'll start slow. You just wait on customers today. Maybe help us pack to-go orders," Hina said with a smile.

This shouldn't be too difficult. The bakery only had five tables.

When the shop opened at 6, not many people coming into the cafe section yet. Makoto mostly packed pastries and cakes for advanced orders.

Around 7 o'clock, the cafe started to get busy. Several early birds came in to hang out with friends and families.

"Makoto, take this to Table 1," Hina said and handed her a tray with a small plate of a blueberry scone and two glasses of orange juice. "And this one to Table 2." Hina handed her another tray with a cup of black coffee and two whole-grain toasts.

Makoto picked up the trays from the counter. She glanced at the tray with a coffee and toasts, her eyes furrowed. Who came to a bakery and ordered dry toasts?

She carried both trays. It was not difficult to balance them on her hands and arms. Her senshi training equipped her with strength and stamina. She walked over to Table 1 first, laying the order on the table with an adept of a seasoned waitress despite her lack of experience. "Here're your scone and two glasses of orange juice."

She then turned to Table 2. She gently laid down the tray. "Here are your black coffee and toasts."

The guy at Table 2 looked up. Her heart almost gave out.

How could she have missed when he walked in? The guy had a large built with wavy long brown hair, hanging down past his shoulders. He wore workout clothes, probably just finished jogging or working out. His hands were holding a newspaper. His appearance reminded her of someone she has lost.

"Nephrite," she muttered. He tilted his head to the side. His eyes narrowed, eyebrows squished together.

Makoto was so stunned that she stepped back, dropping the tray on the floor.

The shattering sound drew Makoto back to the present. She realized what just happened.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She knelt down to pick up the broken mug and plate and wiped the coffee off the floor.

He put down his newspaper and knelt down beside her. If she weren't already flustered, she would have been now.

"Did I get you? Are you hurt?" She looked at him. Couldn't believe her eyes. Nephrite was here.

"No, I'm fine." His lips curved up slightly. Exactly like Nephrite's usual solemn smiles.

He's helping her pick up the pieces of broken china until Hina came in to help.

"Don't worry, Nobu. We'll take care of it. Your order today is on us," Hina said.

"Don't worry about it. I'm ok," he said, waving his hand.

"We insist," Hina said.

He nodded and returned to his seat. Makoto couldn't help noticing his lingering gaze on her.

After cleaning up the mess, Makoto was back behind the counter. She just made a huge mistake on her first day. Not only did she make a fool of herself as a waitress, but she did it in front of Nephrite.

"I'm so sorry, Hina. It's my first day and I already messed up." Makoto covered her face with her hands. The whirl of emotion washed over her. Embarrassment. Frustration. Confusion.

Hina patted her shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Makoto. It's your first day. Just be careful next time." Hina was as kind as her mother.

"Maybe you should try carrying one tray at a time first. We are not that busy, anyway," Hina suggested.

Makoto nodded and let out a sigh. Even though she knew Hina and her mother were nice, for a minute there, she thought she was going to get fired.

"What made you startled anyway?" Hina asked.

Makoto automatically darted to him.

Hina widened her eyes. "You like him?" She whispered

Makoto felt blood filling her face. She cursed herself for her inability to hide anything. Makoto looked down at the floor. "I. I …." Her tongue glued to her mouth.

Hina grinned. "Well, Nobu came here all the time. Every Saturday actually."

"Every Saturday?" Makoto asked.

Hina winked. "Yep."

Makoto nodded. She would see Nephrite every week.

Even while working, her eyes kept glancing at Nephrite, or Nobu according to Hina. She studied him carefully. He seemed to be in his early 20s. He looked so serious reading the newspaper as if he was reading it for school assignments. Not surprising, though. Nephrite took everything earnestly, too. He was arguably the best military strategist in the Golden Kingdom.

But she hadn't seen him looked at her. Not once.

Maybe he didn't remember their past lives. Of course, he wouldn't. Just like she didn't remember anything before meeting Usagi.

As much as Makoto wanted to walk up to him, the cafe got so busy, robbing her of any opportunities to talk to him. Nobu looked very much like Nephrite. The hair. The eyes. The face. The way he carried himself. Was Nobu the guy she thought she saw on the street the other day?

When she had a small break from work, she noticed him getting up and walking toward the door.

Makoto made a quick decision. She would seize the moment.

She quickly put a cupcake in a box and ran after him.

"Wait!" She called out.

Nobu turned around, the newspaper still in his hand.

"This is an apology from me. I'm so sorry for my clumsiness." She bowed and handed up the small box.

Nobu waved his hand. "Don't worry about it."

"Please take it. I'll feel better," Makoto pleaded.

He shrugged. "Ok, if it makes you feel better." He reached out and took it.

"I'm Kino Makoto," she said.

"Yamamoto Nobu."

A small bit of silence hung in the air. For four years, she had been dreaming of this moment to reconnect to Nephrite. How come she felt tense and speechless when the moment actually appeared?

He glanced around nervously, searching for words, his lip pressed together. "Ok. See you." He waved and started to walk away.

"Mr. Yamamoto."

He turned back to her.

She knew this was incredibly forward, but he's Nephrite. There was no way she would let him slip away again.

"Would you like to have coffee sometime?" She finally got the word out.

His eyes darted to the cafe.

She shook her head, waving her hands. "No. Not here. Somewhere else." That was stupid. We were at a cafe. Duh!

"Hm, sure." He shrugged.

She smiled, "My number's on there." She pointed at the bakery box. "Give me a call."

"Sure." He nodded.

"I'll look forward to it." She gave him a gentle smile.

"Ok. Hm, see you then."

Makoto could do nothing but nodded and smiled. She's already picturing their happily ever after.

He would eat the cake and think of her. She beamed at that thought. She wished she had given him something she made instead of the bakery's.

That's ok. There would be plenty of time.

Makoto felt her heart swelling. Happiness filled her like thunderstorms' electricity coursing through her veins. This was it. This was their chance at a happy ending.

The happy ending they both deserved.

* * *

~Nobu~

Despite still being a junior in college studying law, Nobu was already interning at his father's firm. Not that he minded. He desperately wanted to. Everyone thought being the only son of a law firm's owner would be easy. They thought he would be a successor of the firm when his father retired, but things were never easy with his father.

Everyone knew Mr. Yamamoto was extremely strict. His father made it clear since Nobu was young that if he wanted to succeed, he had to work hard. When Nobu decided he wanted to be a lawyer, his father told him Nobu wouldn't be given the firm unless Nobu proved he could handle it. His father would rather sell the firm or gave it to other junior lawyers than letting it crumble in the hands of his own son.

Nobu liked that his father was strict. His father made him work harder. He loved that he had to prove himself. He wanted to win.

Nonetheless, he felt stressed sometimes. Nobu found solace in his morning run and enjoying coffee at a small bakery before he started working every Saturday. His mother complained that he worked too much. Maybe so, but Nobu liked working. It gave him a sense of purpose and accomplishment. What was there to life other than work? Work was a legacy he would leave behind. That mattered to him the most.

Today when Nobu walked in, he noticed a new girl working behind the counter. She seemed young, probably still in high school. The girl's towering over Hina, looking physically strong, but at the same time so gentle.

He didn't know why he was looking at her. He was merely observant, a mark of a good lawyer. That's why.

He had been a regular here since the store opened over a year ago. Nobu liked to order the same thing every time, eliminating one decision from his day created more room for his mind to tackle significant matters

He was concentrating on the newspaper. Seemed like the government would be passing a new law on cryptocurrency soon.

"Here's your …."

He looked up at the server. Not Hina, but the new girl.

She looked startled and dropped the tray. He helped her pick up the broken china.

Once he sat back in his chair again, it was difficult to continue reading. He looked at the newspaper, but his eyes kept darting to the new girl. He heard Hina called her Makoto.

He was sure Makoto didn't notice his glance. He excelled at plastering his poker-face. That's why he would make a good lawyer, his father told him many times.

Not only his eyes kept darting to her, his thoughts too.

He didn't understand why.

That bothered him. He liked knowing what happened, despising anything beyond his controls.

She was just pretty. That's all. It was his stupid male biology causing him to think about her.

He shook his head. Girls are distractions. Loves are distractions. They would derail him from his goals.

Once he reached his goals, there would be plenty of time to find a wife and start a family.

His father approved of that. Actually, it might have been his father's idea, but Nobu agreed. His career's clock was ticking.

As much as he kept telling himself he's not interested in dating, he couldn't stop thinking about Makoto. His mind kept wandering to her so much that he couldn't continue reading at all. Words were all jumbled in his mind.

He had to go somewhere else to find peace. He left the money on the table and walked toward the exit.

He barely left the door when Makoto caught up to him and offered him a small box. Must be a cake or a pastry.

He tried to refuse. She looked so apologetic, and he didn't want her to feel bad. Any gentlemen wouldn't refuse.

Then she invited him to get coffee and ask him to call her.

Did she just ask him out?

But what he didn't understand was why he said yes. He had no intention to date anyone right now.

His father always told him not to date until he finished college. Girls were terrible distractions, he said.

It was ridiculous to follow his father's order, he knew.

But he was a good son. Always a good son.

Maybe he could try? Just once? It couldn't hurt to go on a date with this girl just one time. He would never let any girl distract him from his goals anyway. He just wanted to know this girl.

That's what he told himself.

* * *

AN: Honestly, I'm not really in love with how I wrote this chapter for my favorite couple. But I'm stuck, and I need to move on. Otherwise, I might not finish the story. Maybe I'll come back and revise it later. This is what I have for now. Hope it's good enough.

SilverMoonFlower18 –I love Rei and Jadeite too. I like Rei's personality.

i1976 - blu notte – You'll see Usagi and Mamoru soon.

godess bubbles – Might be a while before we see Junichi again. Hang tight.

KageNoNeko – Glad you like two POVs. I can't decide whose POV I want to write, so I did both, lol.


	7. Chapter 7

~Usagi~

The Crown Ice-cream Parlor was bustling with patrons. At 3.30 PM, teenagers dashed in and out of the shop. Usagi, Makoto, Ami, and Minako were sitting at their usual boot. Actually, 'usual' might not be accurate anymore. Lately, they only came here once or twice a month. Still, this booth held fond memories of their days together as Sailor Senshi fighting evil by moonlight.

A mere seconds later, Rei showed up. Usagi half stood up and waved to Rei.

"Rei, over here," Usagi shouted with enthusiasm.

Rei's eyebrows furrowed, putting her index finger to her lips. "Do you have to announce to the entire world? Geez, Usagi. When will you grow up?" Rei smoothed her skirt and sat down.

Usagi pouted. "I worked with kindergarteners, ok? I am forever young."

Ami and Makoto chuckled. Minako smiled at the sight of friendly bantering between Usagi and Rei.

"I'm so happy everyone's here," Usagi said, clapping her hands with joy. She had missed everyone so much, but it was understandable, even she was busy volunteering at the kindergarten.

"I missed you too, Usagi." Minako hugged her sideways. Usagi hardly saw Minako despite them going to the same school.

"It's nice to be here again. We haven't gotten together in like, forever." Makoto said and then took a sip of her rose tea.

"We met last month, Mako-chan," Ami said.

"That's forever! We used to meet every day, remember?" Usagi said, her sapphire eyes shining at everyone.

"Rei, you want hot matcha green tea, right?" Makoto asked.

Rei nodded. Makoto flagged the waitress and ordered for Rei.

"What have you girls been up to?" Usagi asked, all the while, digging into her parfait.

Silence filled the air.

Usagi paused and put down her spoon. The clinking noise was pronounced amid the silence.

"What's the matter, girls? I asked what you've been up to?" Her eyes darted among four friends. Why did they all look confused? Ami looked down at the table. Mako-chan cast a glance out the window. Minako and Rei looked at each other.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Usagi felt a little left out. What's going on here?

Rei placed her palms around her tea mug as if to brace herself before she broke terrible news. This couldn't be good. When Rei showed her serious face, it was always bad news.

"Ami, Minako, Makoto." Rei's voice was solemn. "I assume something happened?"

Three of her dear friends looked at each other.

Rei observed Ami, Minako and Makoto's reactions and said, "I thought so."

The three looked at Rei.

"You too?" Minako finally said something.

"What happened?" Usagi said, bracing herself for bad news. Desperately hope it was not a new enemy.

Ami and Makoto seemed to still get caught in their own thoughts.

"Were you guys talking about something behind my back? Keeping secrets from me?" Usagi pouted.

Ami touched Usagi's shoulder. "Nothing like that" Ami put her hand back on her lap. "It's just… something unexpected happened."

"I can't believe it happened to all of us," Makoto said.

"Not to me!" Usagi yelled, slamming her fists on the table.

"Not surprising though considering they were always together," Rei said.

"Ok, if someone's not telling me what's going on right now, I'm gonna walk away," Usagi said.

"That's hardly a threat, Usagi. I'd be happy if you leave," Rei said.

Now that's Usagi's usual fiery girl. Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei.

"No. Don't leave, Usagi," Minako said. She looked awkward. Minako looked awkward? That's new.

"I've met Jadeite. And I think you have met the shitennou too, right?" Rei said.

Ami, Makoto, and Minako nodded, simultaneously.

"What?" Usagi yelled.

"Shh, Usagi. Keep quiet," Minako said, putting her finger to her lips.

"Sorry," Usagi lowered her voice. Her face still in shock.

"What do you mean you saw the shitennou?" Usagi whispered.

"I don't know about the rest of you." Rei shot a look at the other three. "But I met a guy looking like Jadeite. He was in school uniform, not the shitennou's military clothes."

"I met Zoicite." Ami shook her head. "No. The guy who looks like Zoicite. We met at the library."

"I saw Nobu, or Nephrite, at the bakery where I work," Makoto said.

"When I had lunch last Saturday with my parents, I met Ken, Kunzite. He's the son of parents' friends."

Usagi gasped. Hands covering her month.

"Oh my god!" Usagi tried to whisper.

After a little bit of thinking, Usagi turned excited.

"This is so awesome!" Usagi said, clapping her hands.

"Huh?" Rei and Ami looked at Usagi.

"Awesome? How?" Rei asked.

"This means you can start over. Start your romance again!" Usagi said, still clapping her hands with excitement.

Makoto and Minako looked hopeful while Ami and Rei still seemed unsure.

"I don't know if they are shitennou, though," Ami said, touching her chin.

"He seemed different, right?" Minako added.

Ami nodded.

"Same for you too?" Rei asked. "Junichi seemed different from Jadeite. Not entirely different, but something's off."

"Ken's not the same as Kunzite either," Minako said. "Still handsome as in the past, but his personality was not the same."

"How do you know his personality? You just met him during dinner with your parents, right?" Makoto asked.

"Actually, I went on a date with him two days ago," Minako said.

"What?" everyone exclaimed at the same time.

"You're dating him?" Usagi asked,

"I don't know. Sort of," Minako said, a little blushing.

"You two moved fast, like in the past," Rei said, smirking at Minako.

Usagi thought she saw a sad smile on Minako. Was there something she didn't know?

"Do you think Mamoru have met them yet?" Ami asked.

"He hasn't said anything to me, so I think not. But if he has met them and didn't tell me, I'd kill him," Usagi said.

"No, you wouldn't," Rei said, shaking her head.

"Maybe not, but I'll punish him." Her face brimming with animated determination.

"We have to ask Mamoru about this. They were his generals after all," Minako said.

"Is Mamoru getting off work soon?" Makoto asked Usagi.

"I think so." Usagi glanced at her bunny watch. "Yeah, actually he should be finishing up by now. I'll text him."

 _Come to the Parlor. Quick! Huge news!_ She texted.

* * *

10 minutes later, Mamoru arrived at the Parlor. He probably rushed here. His breathing was more rapid than usual, sweats forming along his temples.

Mamoru waved at the girls as he was walking toward their table. He gave Usagi a kiss on the cheek. They tried not to show much public display of affection. Then he sat down beside her.

"What's the huge news, Usagi?"

Usagi looked at the girls, his gaze followed hers.

"What's wrong, everyone?" Mamoru asked. She saw his eyes changed. He must have thought of something bad. "New enemies?"

The four senshi in civilian identities looked at each other.

"No," Ami said, shaking her head.

"Well, it could be. We don't know." Rei crossed her arms.

Minako broke the news. "We met the shitennou."

Mamoru gaped. "That's….That's impossible." Usagi hadn't seen him this disturbed for a long time. Mamoru looked down at the table, his head shaking slightly. His fingers fidgeting. He was usually so calm and collected, but this news must have been a shock.

Ami leaned in. "We should clarify. We met some guys who _look_ like the shitennou. But they are civilians. Students." Ami said.

"Have you met any of them?" Makoto asked.

"No. Not at all." Mamoru shook his head.

"That's interesting," Rei said, rubbing her chin.

"Who are they?" Mamoru asked.

Usagi took the liberty to summarize what they had been discussing for the past 15 minutes. "Ami met Sora, Zoicite at the library. He's a high school student. Rei met Junichi, Jadeite in front of her school. He's a high school student too. Makoto met Nobu, Nephrite at the bakery where she works. He's most likely a college student. Minako met Ken, Kunzite during a dinner with her parents. He goes to the same university as you."

Mamoru looked down at the table again. He's rubbing his forehead. He had that I'm-studying-don't-bother-me look. But today that look was tainted by confusion and worry.

Silence and tension hang among them for a few minutes. The girls didn't dare to voice their thoughts, all waiting for Mamoru to say something.

"They can't be the shitennou." Mamoru finally looked up and broke the silence.

"Are you sure they look exactly like them?" Mamoru asked.

The four girls looked at each other.

"We think so," Minako said.

"But we also feel something different from these guys," Ami said.

"There's no way." Mamoru shook his head.

Usagi laced her arm around Mamoru's. "Why are you so sure? Maybe they were reincarnated like we were. They might not remember the past, but a few years ago we didn't remember either."

Mamoru looked at Usagi and then the four girls. His eyes became intense. "I need to show you something."

* * *

Together they walked to Mamoru's apartment. Minako and Ami settled on the sofa. Makoto, Usagi, and Rei sat on the floor around the coffee table.

Mamoru went into his bedroom and came back holding a small mahogany box in his hand. The box was carved with a Golden Kingdom's coat of arms. He sat the box down on the coffee table and open it, revealing four stones shinning inside. The girls fixed their gazes at the precious rocks.

"Minako, could you close the curtain and turn off the lights, please?" Mamoru asked.

Darkness filled the room, only hints of light escaping the foot of the curtain. Makoto bit her lips, her eyes squinting. Minako swallowed the lump in her throat. Ami pressed her lips together and kept tugging her hair behind her ears. Rei's gaze fixed firmly on the stones.

Mamoru sat down cross-legged on the floor, palms resting on his knees. He closed his eyes.

After a few seconds, the four spirits manifested. All the girls audibly gasped. Ami and Minako covered their mouths with their hands. Makoto braced herself against the coffee table, her head shaking in denial. Rei remained still, only her breathing became slightly more rapid.

"Master." The four spirits knelt down and paid respect to their master. Then they noticed the senshi. All four generals' eyes widened. Jadeite's mouth fell open. Nephrite jerked his head back in shock. Kunzite's body visibly tensed. Zoicite gasped in shock. This day was full of surprises.

"Venus," Kunzite uttered. The other three shitennou still remained quiet, but Usagi could tell they were looking at their respective former partners.

Makoto shook her head. "This. This. This's impossible. I saw you at the bakery." Makoto gestured her hand at Nephrite.

"I'm here, Jupiter," Nephrite talked to her.

Makoto tilted her head, examining Nephrite's spirit form. "I don't understand. Makoto kept shaking her head.

"I'm always here. I've never been anywhere else," Nephrite said.

"You've never told me the shitennou are with you?" Usagi asked Mamoru.

"I'm sorry I've kept this from you, Usako," Mamoru said. "But I didn't know how to break it to you. I didn't want you..." He looked at the four senshi. "To worry."

"He wants all of you to move on," Kunzite said, still looking at Minako.

Minako walked over to Kunzite. She extended her hand and tried to touch his spirit form, only to have her hand met with nothing but air. Her face showed considerable disappointment. Kunzite's closed his eyes and sighed. Minako dropped her head, her lips pressed tight.

Rei slowly lifted her eyes to study Jadeite, eyes brimming with tears. Rei rarely showed her vulnerability. Jadeite looked at her with gentleness and longing.

Ami's eyes glued to Zoicite as if she was willing his spirit into a physical form. She's calculating, thinking, reasoning how this happened. She would do it until she realized this could not be explained by reasons. Our lives had always defied logic.

Makoto remained quiet. Too quiet. She still shook her head, not believing her eyes.

Mamoru broke the silence. "This is why I think the guys you met couldn't be shitennou." Mamoru looked back to his generals. "Because they are with me the whole time."

"The whole time? Like since the end of the battle with Metalia?" Usagi asked,

Mamoru nodded.

"They've been with you for four years?" Ami asked.

Mamoru nodded again, averting Ami's gaze.

"You met a guy looking like me?" Zoicite asked Ami.

Ami nodded. "We all did," Minako chimed in

The four generals now looked as confused as their former lovers, looking at each other.

"How similar?" Nephrite tossed the question in the room, not directing toward anyone specifically.

"Physically, exactly like you. Personality, slightly different," Rei said.

"Enemies," Kunzite said.

Silence interrupted the conversation. Everyone seemed to be lost in their thoughts.

"We'll keep an eye out for any sign of them being enemies. Please don't worry," Usagi said, trying to ease the tension.

Kunzite nodded. "Please be careful. If you need any help, we are here."

"I can't keep them out for long," Mamoru said, visibly sweating.

"I've missed you," Ami said to Zoicite. That's something Usagi never thought would hear Ami said to a guy. Zoicite gave her a sad smile.

"So have I," Zoicite said, gaze fixed at Ami.

Rei got up and walked to Jadeite, slowly taking in the sight of him. "I always see you. In my dreams. In my fire." She forced a smile. "You're always with me."

Usagi saw Jadeite swallowed the lump in his throat. Could a spirit do that?

"Same for me. You're always with me. Always." Jadeite reached out his hand to touch her face, but his hand went right through it. But Rei titled her face to lean into his transparent hand anyway.

Mamoru was visibly sweating and exhausted. It must have taken a great deal of energy to bring the shitennou from the stones. Usagi placed her hand on his palm, trying to calm him.

"Be well. My love." Kunzite said to Minako.

"I'll never forget you," Minako said.

Nephrite floated to Makoto and knelt down beside her.

"If you need strength." He pointed his heart. "Just think of me."

Makoto still looked shocked. "I've missed you."

"Me too," Nephrite said, nodding in agreement.

Then the four shitennou went back in line and knelt down before Mamoru. In seconds, they disappeared. The four stones glistering for a second before the sparkles faded, living dull rocks on the velvet cushion of the box.

Observing everyone's reactions, Usagi knew they had a long, long road ahead before their lives would be normal again.

* * *

AN.: Thank you everyone so much for reading. Please leave reviews and comments. I love hearing from you all. :)


	8. Chapter 8: Minako and Ken

~Minako~

Their footsteps echoing as they approached Minako's house. The evening sun returned home behind the horizon, bringing about a mixture hue of red and orange. The gentle spring breeze carrying a delightful scent of blooming flowers embraced her. Birds chirping as they returned home to their loved ones. Cicadas and crickets readying to claim their places.

"I had a great time," Ken said. His gaze fixed on her.

"Me too." She smiled.

He averted his eyes, hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm hoping we could go out again?" Ken asked.

This was their second date, but the first after she had seen Kunzite's spirit. Minako nodded with a sweet smile. "I'd like that."

He beamed and nodded. He looked so happy. Genuinely happy.

"Are you free next Saturday?"

"I think so," Minako said, not wanting to sound overly eager.

Ken scratched his head, eyes darting to the ground. "I have a fencing competition. It's not a big deal, just regional. I was wondering if you 'd like to come."

The corners of her mouths turned upward. It'd be terrific to see him outside of their dates. To see the real him.

"I'd love to."

His eyes fixed on her again. "Great. It's at my university. 2 PM."

"I will see you then," she said, noticing the glee in his eyes.

"Good night," Ken leaned closer. His smoky grey eyes held power over her. The warmth spreading through her body. She leaned into the strong man in front of her. Their lips touched. For a few seconds, she felt a flashback to the similar touch of Kunzite. But this kiss was nothing like the past. Right at this moment with Ken, she felt warmth and comfort. With Kunzite, it was always intense passions, filled with the forbidden rush of desire.

Finally, they parted. She looked upward and met his gentleness. Her heart told her she would always be safe with him.

"Good night." He graced fingers along her face, eyes full of love.

Minako chuckled. "You said that already."

Blood rushed to his cheeks. This huge guy blushed. The only way she could describe him at this moment was honest and innocent.

"See you Saturday," she uttered softly.

She remained at the door until he walked out of sight. Minako felt his touch lingering on her lips. Her body still warm. She couldn't fathom how this guy might be an enemy.

"Minako."

She knew who called her. She turned to see Artemis standing behind with a disapproving look, like a father spotting his daughter kissing some guy.

"Artemis," she blurted out. Didn't expect to be caught.

They stood there, gazes fixed on each other. A staring contest in place.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Artemis finally said something.

"About what?" She played dumb, even if it probably wouldn't work.

"About Kunzite."

"He's not Kunzite." She shook her head.

Artemis still stared at her.

"Kunzite is trapped in the stone," she continued.

"I know." Of course, he knew. Usagi and Luna must have told him.

"He could be an enemy," Artemis said with his intense eyes.

"I know. I'm keeping an eye on him."

Her feline guardian shook his head, flashing his objection. "I know that look, Minako. You're falling for him. Need I remind you of what happened last time?" She knew he meant well, but she didn't feel like being lectured right now.

"Ken is not like Kunzite."

"He looks like Kunzite." Artemis's voice stern.

"What's your point, Artemis?" She raised her voice.

"All I can say is be careful, Minako."

"I am careful."

"You said that to me on Silver Millennium too," he said with a serious face. Minako looked down, feeling guilty. This conversation did feel familiar.

"Do not repeat history, Minako. There might be no fixing this time," he said and strode away, leaving her lost in her thought.

Minako opened the front door and walked into the living room. She gingerly dragged herself and collapsed on the sofa. She pulled her legs to her chest and rested her head on her knees.

Was she falling for Ken? Minako closed her eyes, repeating in her mind what happened for the past few days. Her world was shaking, earth-shatteringly shaking, like the kind only Uranus could manifest. Meeting Ken, seeing Kunzite's spirit. What was happening?

It was difficult to admit, but she knew she didn't go out with Ken merely to keep an eye on him. She wanted to see him. She felt something between them. Something wonderful.

While Kunzite attracted her by his suave, self-assured demeanor, Ken drew her in through his honesty. His innocent smiles. His caring eyes. He couldn't be an enemy in disguise. She felt it.

But the past crept into her mind. Her heart pounding. Her breath quickened. She took a deep breath and sighed.

She felt this way with Kunzite too.

She was so sure Kunzite loved her.

But he betrayed her. Humiliated her. Twice.

She closed her eyes, hands covering her face. Had she ever known his true self?

Love was her greatest weakness. She trusted her heart more than her head when it came to love.

She was blind. Always blinded by love.

Was she repeating this agony? Was she doomed never to find love?

Artemis was right. This was more likely to end in pain than happiness.

She had to keep her heart guarded, looking for signs of Ken being an enemy. She had to be a leader here. Her job was protecting everyone. It was time to put Sailor Venus, the senshi leader's hat on. And shred off the persona of Venus, the descendant of Aphrodite, no matter how painful it was to do so.

* * *

Minako reached the arena where the fencing competition was held. Everybody pumped up with excitement. Intermittent cheers erupted from the crowds. The stench of sweats hit her. While it might appall somebody, it was familiar and exhilarating to her. It evoked the rush of excitement from years of playing volleyball. If she weren't busy fighting as Sailor Venus, she would have made it into major competitions.

She stood in front of the arena. In her luminous orange, spaghetti-strapped dress cutting above her knees, she was a vision of the young Aphrodite, drawing attention from many passersby, men and women. She was used to being the center of attention, but today she did not bother caring about anyone else. Ken was the only person on her mind. Soon, Mamoru walked toward her. She had invited him because she needed a second opinion of Ken. Where love was concerned, she couldn't rely only on her own instinct.

Was this love?

If it was, was it for Ken or Kunzite?

She shoved that thought away as they sat down to watch the competition. She noticed Mamoru fidgeting. His legs bouncing restlessly. She'd never seen him like that.

"Are you ok, Mamoru? You seemed nervous."

He forced a smile. "It's just strange. Waiting to see Kunzite look-alike."

She nodded. "Yeah. Every time I see Ken, I feel like I'm betraying Kunzite," she responded but her gaze fixed ahead, waiting for Ken to appear.

"I feel the same, but we need to investigate this." Mamoru flashed her his typical serious look.

She nodded.

As Ken's match started, they both fixed their eyes on him.

She was mesmerized. His tactics, his movement, and how he wielded his sword were very much like Kunzite. She had a moment of flashback to him teaching her sword fights. As the best sword fighter in the Golden Kingdom, he was her best teacher.

She glanced over at Mamoru, who seemed equally baffled.

"That's how Kunzite handled his sword," Mamoru said, eyes fixed on Ken.

She was glad to hear Mamoru confirmed the same thought. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating.

After the competition, Minako and Mamoru waited outside the arena to meet Ken. He walked out of the locker room in his usual white t-shirt and fitted jeans, accentuating his muscular body. Small water beads dripping from his long silver hair.

Minako found herself staring. She shook her head and stopped her naughty thoughts.

Ken smiled at her. A smile that you could see from a mile away, but it stopped when his eyes darted to Mamoru.

"Hi, Ken. You were terrific," she said. He stood close enough that she smelled the fresh, clean scent.

"Thanks. I could have done better though. But at least I got to compete in the next round."

He could have done better? She saw no flaw in his performance, and she was no newbie when it came to sword fights.

"Ken, this is Chiba Mamoru. Mamoru, this is Nakamura Ken."

Mamoru smiled. Ken forced a smile back.

Mamoru reached out his hand. Ken reluctantly returned the gesture.

As soon as they shook hands, Mamoru stopped and seemed to be lost in his thoughts for a second, then he swiftly turned back to a smile.

"Nice to finally meet you. Minako talked about you a lot."

Ken raised his eyebrows.

"Mamoru is my friend's fiancé. He's a medical student here."

Ken let out his genuine, innocent smile. Was he worried that Mamoru was hitting on her? Was he jealous? It was kind of cute. Kunzite would never have shown his jealousy.

Ken turned to Minako, "You want to go to a cake shop on the main street? They are famous for their shortcakes and sakura tea."

"I love both of those." She smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, you told me."

An awkward silence hung in the air. Mamoru cleared his throat.

"You are welcome to join us." Ken turned to Mamoru.

"No, thank you. You two have fun. I have to get back to the hospital."

"Ok, Hope to see you around," Ken said to Mamoru.

"See you later," Minako said as Mamoru walked away.

She turned back to smile at Ken. He was beaming. She suspected she wasn't hiding her excitement either.

They started walking toward Ken's car.

"Congratulations on your win," she said.

"Thank you. I worked so hard. It's good to be able to celebrate."

"Was the trip to the cake shop a plan to celebrate?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"How did you know you were going to win?"

"I have to hope for the best. And even if I don't, spending time with you would cheer me up." Oh! He didn't just say that. Too sweet.

Minako caught herself losing in his gaze and words. No. She couldn't. She had to be vigilant. She needed to find out more about him. Get him to feel comfortable with her and share his secrets. Get him to be vulnerable with her.

* * *

They arrived at the cake shop. She couldn't lie to herself that she enjoyed the drive here. More than she should have, considering this was a mission to uncover a potential enemy.

"So, Ken. It's hard to believe a big guy like you has a sweet tooth," she said.

"Well." He touched the back of his neck. "I actually don't have a sweet tooth."

She furrowed her brows. "Then why did you want to come here?"

"Hm… because you told me you like cakes."

Wow! That was good. It was impossible not to fall in love with this guy.

She smiled and dug into the cake, parting her gaze from his.

"You are really good at this." She chuckled.

"At what?" He grabbed a spoon.

"Flirting."

"I'm … not flirting." He fixed his gaze on her. The intensity was so strong she automatically returned his stare. She felt her heart melt.

"Oh."

"Do you think I'm just flirting?"

She shrugged. "I .. I don't know." Oh, Venus! This was entirely out of her plan. She was supposed to be leading the conversation.

"I'm not flirting. I'm serious." Those eyes of his showed so much honesty.

"Still, you're good with the ladies."

"Actually, I've been told I'm rather distant."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "No, you're not."

He bit his lips and averted his eyes, seemingly focusing on the cake. It's cute.

No. No. No. Don't get lost in what he did.

She leaned in closer to him.

"I'm serious too." Her eyes lingered on his.

Then she pulled back and pretended to be shy. At the corner of her eyes, she saw him trying to hide his smile. Good. Let him think that she was into him.

But a small voice whispered she might feel the same way.

* * *

AN. It took me a long while to finish this chapter. Hope you all like it. Reviews and comments are always appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9: Ami and Sora

~Sora~

Sora hopped off the bus. After only a few steps, he stood in front of the tall building spanning across three blocks, unquestionably enormous for Tokyo standards. The city library.

He sighed and anxiety boiled up. This was not his favorite place, but he was hoping to run into Ami. How pathetic was that? He had been kicking himself for not asking for her number or e-mail last time they met.

He walked around the reading room, trying to step as lightly as he could. Then he went upstairs, passing shelves after shelves. He finally went through every floor, but Ami was nowhere in sight. He started thinking how ridiculous this idea was. Ami might not even come here today. Such a desperate attempt to run into her. Maybe he should give up and go home.

He decided to walk around the reading room one more time before he left. Toward the end of the reading room, he caught a glimpse of the blue hair among library patrons. There she was. With her blue hair, she stood out everywhere. He adjusted his messenger bag strap and hurried his steps.

Ami was now in his full view. Her eyes fixed on a thick book, hand slowly turning the page. He stopped his gait, taking in the sight of her. Suddenly he felt nervous, courage seemed to drain out from him. He took in a deep breath and marched toward the girl.

"Hi, Ami." He waved and tried to lower his voice. They were in the library after all.

Her gaze parted from the book and looked at him. Those eyes always seemed to pierce through his heart. Her lips curved slightly upward. He felt his knees wobbling already.

Do you have a moment?"

"Yes." She nodded.

Sora pulled out a chair opposite of her seat and sat down.

"I was wondering if …" He got even more nervous. It already took him a lot of courage just to walk to her. But it's now or never. He had to say it.

"I'd like to ask you to be a model for my painting." He finally got the whole sentence out.

"Me?" Ami pointed at herself, looking like he was asking an unimaginable favor.

"Yes, for my class assignment. I think you'd be perfect for it," Sora said. Hope she did not think him a pervert. It was a strange request for someone he just met.

Ami looked away, locked in her thinking mode, making him incredibly nervous. She was going to say no.

"It's stupid, just forget about it," Sora said, waving his hand. Of course, she wouldn't say yes. She was way too busy and probably couldn't care less about painting. Or him. Sora started to haul himself up from the seat.

"Wait." Ami blurted out, causing him to turn his head back to meet her eyes.

"I'd love to."

He couldn't believe his ears. He sat back down.

"Really?" He asked.

"Sure, I'd love to help," she said.

"Thank you so much. I promise it won't take too much of your time. We can schedule any day you're free."

"I'm free tomorrow," she said.

"Then tomorrow it is." He beamed. They exchanged their phone numbers and e-mails.

"Thank you so much, Ami. I'll text you time and place."

"I'll see you tomorrow." He bowed and waved goodbye.

She smiled. He hoped she was as excited to meet each other again as much as he was.

* * *

~Ami~

Ami woke up to what she deemed a perfect Sunday. She finished her homework on Friday, so she basically had all weekend free. She spent yesterday reading at the library. Today she would see Sora and be his model. The thought of him made her heart pounding.

Ami stepped out of her room to find no one in the apartment. Her mother wrote on the kitchen whiteboard that she had to go to the hospital to follow up with several patients. It was usual for her mother to get called in on weekends since she was the head of the department. Ami was used to it now. She fixed herself her favorite food, a sandwich. She pulled a book from one of the several bookshelves and sat down to read while she ate.

But she was merely flipping through the pages, not registering what was written. She was excited, but also nervous to see Sora again. Her body felt warm every time she thought of him. She hadn't felt this way since…

Since Silver Millennium, when she was counting the days she would get to accompany Serenity and see Zoicite on Earth. She pulled herself out of that thought. Sora might look like Zoicite, but he was different. It wouldn't be fair to compare them.

Ami spent about 30 minutes agonizing about what to wear, which was completely out of her character. Her regular routine consisted of picking whatever she felt like and moved on. But today she pulled out five different outfits, laid them out on her bed. Tried one and then another, taking her half an hour before deciding on one. It was such a waste of time. She could have finished a book chapter or two. She didn't know why she bothered. It wasn't a date. She was only doing him a favor, helping him with his assignment. Helping him with school. That's what she always did for friends.

The bus ride took 10 minutes. A group of five girls on the bus talking loudly with excitement, some carried picnic baskets. Glancing at them, she smiled, thinking of her own circle of friends. She stepped off the bus and walked toward the lake. Sora was already there sitting on the bench with his messenger bag on his lap. He waved and smiled at her. She smiled and waved back. Then he jogged to meet her.

He stopped merely a few inches from her. She felt herself blushing.

"Thank you for coming, Ami," he said.

She nodded. He surveyed her from head to toe. Not in a creepy way, but it still made her feel self-conscious.

His eyes melt an already-thin ice wall she kept between them. "You look lovely."

Blood rushed to her cheeks. She averted his gaze, tugging a strand of hair beside her eyes. "Thank you." The outfit she settled on was a blue dress, complimenting her blue hair and a navy blue belt wrapping around her waist. It felt good to be praised for her appearance once in a while. Usually, nobody noticed her physical beauty. Most people saw her brain first, which was a weird thing to say but it was true. People perceived her as smart, not pretty. While she liked that people adored her intelligence, she was elated when Sora complimented her look.

He led her to the side of the lake. He pulled out a white-and-red plaid cloth and laid it down on the grass.

"Ami, please sit here." Sora gestured for her to sit on the cloth.

Ami sat with her back to the lake, her face to him.

"Do you want me to pose or something?" Ami asked.

Sora shook his head slightly, looking at her with that gentle, playful eyes. "No. Just sit and read."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't mind doing something else if it'd help you," she said.

"You look stunning when you read," he said, causing her to look away from him.

"Well, ok then." She had no problem with this because she always carried at least one book with her everywhere. She pulled out a book from her bag and started reading. Sora smiled and began drawing.

—

One hour passed. Not one word said between them. She kept reading and glanced at him once in a while, marveling at how concentrated he was. It made her think of her father. The thought prickled her heart, noticing how much she missed him.

She blinked and realized she's been staring at Sora for too long. He caught her gaze and smiled. She swiftly pretended to look back at her book. But he put his sketchbook down. She stole a look at his work, he was pretty good.

"Would you like to take a break?" He said. Without waiting for her answer, he pulled out a thermos and a box from his bag. She was amazed at how seemingly normal-sized bag could carry both a large lunchbox and a set of his drawing tools. He opened the lunchbox and handed to her. There was a variety of sandwiches as if he knew they were her favorite food.

Ami reluctantly took one sandwich. "Thank you."

Sora took one himself and set the box down.

At the corner of her eyes, she noticed he was looking at her. She paused and looked at him, wanting to ask if something was wrong.

"What were you reading, Ami?"

"Microbiology textbook." He smiled with mirth. "Sounds difficult but seems like something you'd read."

"I want to be prepared for the medical school entrance exam."

"You are a genius with an IQ of 300. I doubt you need to study so much."

She furrowed her brows. "How do you know that?"

"I … um" He stuttered.

"You googled me?" She asked.

Sora chuckled. "I'm sorry, ok? It's just. You are fascinating." He said, causing her to blush again.

"Then maybe I should google you?" She teased.

"Go ahead, nothing is interesting about me."

"We'll see about that." She pulled out her phone from her purse and started typing.

She smiled wickedly, not having felt this playful for a while. "Have you ever googled yourself, Sora?"

"Not really. I'm not that narcissistic, you know?" He stretched his legs out to the front and leaned back, hands on the floor.

Ami grinned and chuckled.

He jerked back up. "What? What did you find?" He asked, leaning in to see her phone.

She showed him a YouTube clip. He took the phone from her.

His jaw dropped as soon as he saw the clip.

The clip showed Sora and his friends taking off their clothes and jumping into the lake. Luckily, the clip only showed the upper part of their bodies.

"Oh God! How could that get on the internet? I didn't even know somebody recorded that."

Ami laughed out loud. "You went skinny dipping?"

He rolled his eyes. "On a dare, Ami. And it was almost night time."

"Not quite, Sora. I can see you. Pretty clearly." His look was priceless. Half-amused, half-embarrassed.

"That'd teach you a lesson for googling me." Her chuckle quickly turned into a real laugh. She couldn't remember a time she laughed this hard.

"Now I'm embarrassed."

"You weren't embarrassed when you took off your clothes in front of everybody?"

Ami kept laughing. "Sorry. Sorry. It's just so funny," she said.

He looked at her with calmness. "I like your laugh."

The comment stopped her laugh. How did he keep bringing things back to her? Making her feel like the center of the world? His world? She felt her body tingling and her stomach fluttering.

Right here, right now she felt so … happy. And loved.

Zoicite made her feel this way too.

Zoicite. A ghost who would haunt her forever.

"Ami, are you ok?"

Ami puller herself out from swirling thoughts. "Yes." She nodded, allowing herself to get lost in his gaze.

Maybe she should give herself a chance at happiness. Sora was here in front of her where Zoicite could never be.

She never had her happy ending in her past life, maybe in this life, she could.

* * *

Two hours later, Sora was done working for the day.

"Thank you very much, Ami."

"Are you finished?" Ami asked while getting up. She smoothed out her dress.

"Just drawing. I still need to paint it."

"Can I see it?" Ami asked softly.

Sora smiled and nodded as he turned the drawing toward her.

Ami held her breath, stunned. What stood in front of her was the drawing of a woman with her figure and hair, in a light flowy gown. Instead of sitting on the hill, she was sitting on the lake as if she emerged from the water. In her hand, she held a small blue harp. Ami knew who this was. Princess Mercury.

Ami looked at Sora to see his reaction. But he showed no source of recognition of the past. He's merely the guy proud of his own artwork. Ami looked back at the drawing, yearning for the peaceful time in the Golden Kingdom.

"Do you like it?" Sora's question broke her train of thoughts.

Ami smiled. "I love it. You are terrific."

"You're just saying that." Sora scratched his head.

Ami looked earnestly at him, shaking her head. "No. I'm not. Granted I'm not a professional artist or anything, but my dad's a painter. I have seen hundreds if not thousands of drawings and paintings. Yours is really good."

"Your dad's a painter?" Sora asked. "Wait! Mizuno Sensei is your father?"

Ami nodded. "Yes."

Sora eyes widened in surprise. "If I'd known you were his daughter, I'd probably never have the guts to ask you."

She looked back at the drawing. "I'm glad you did. I really love your work." Now it was his turn to blush.

"Thank you," he said.

Sora started gathering his tools. "Thank you very much for today."

She simply smiled at him. The ghost of the past kept haunting her, even amid this perfect moment with him.

"Ok, let me take you home, Ami," he offered.

"You don't need to do that. I'm meeting my friends at the Crown parlor."

"Then let me walk you there," he insisted. With his pleading eyes, she couldn't turn him down. Maybe she didn't want to.

They walked together toward the shopping district. Ami felt strangely comfortable around him. They bid goodbye when they reached the parlor. She felt a powerful tug between them, holding them not to part. Her eyes lingered on his back as he walked away.

The automatic glass door opened. Spotting her friends, she waved at them. Usagi greeted her loudly from the table. Ami walked over to join them.

"You look so pretty, Ami-chan." Usagi complimented her friend.

"Did you have a date or something?" Minako asked, prying for juicy news.

"No, I just modeled for Sora's painting."

"Sora! That Sora who looks like Zoicite?" Usagi asked.

Rei scolded her friend. "Which other Sora she'd be talking about, meatball head."

Makoto asked, "I thought you didn't want anything to do with him."

Ami looked at her fellow brunette. "I didn't want to, but when he asked, I couldn't say no."

Makoto leaned in, "So, is he like Zoicite?"

Ami shook her head. "No. Sora is intuitive and artistic. Zoicite is more analytical like me, and he couldn't even draw, let alone paint."

"He's not Zoicite then." Rei took the liberty to conclude, but Ami still seemed lost in her thought.

Minako asked, "What's wrong, Ami-chan?"

"It's true, Sora is nothing like Zoicite but …" Ami paused, causing all her friends to get closer and listen intently. "Being with him gave me that same calm, peaceful feeling that I used to have when I was with Zoicite. He made me feel the same way Zoicite made me feel." Ami put her left hand on her chin. She didn't know what else to say. None of this made sense, but this was how she felt.

Was she betraying Zoicite? She still loved him, but he would never be here with her again. She knew it was selfish, but she wanted to be happy. In this life. Right now. Zoicite could never give her that. But Sora might. She was ashamed for having this thought. For almost 18 years, she never felt the need to have a boy in her life. But being with Sora brought up a new feeling in her. She wanted to be around him, spend time with him, maybe even hold him.

She still loved Zoicite. Very much. The bond they had could not be erased. But Zoicite was merely a spirit. A ghost.

It would have been so much easier if Sora was Zoicite.

But her life had never been easy.

* * *

AN. Some of you mentioned that the story was confusing. I'm going to explain a little bit here.

[Warning: Spoiler alert] So why did the girls seem to have feelings for the guys (Ken, Nobu, Sora, and Junichi) if they weren't the shitennou? Well, the girls still love the shitennou but also realized that the shitennou were only spirits trapped in stones. They had no chance of being together in real lives. Kind of like your significant others passed away. You still love them, but you can't be with them anymore.

Hope this clears things up a little bit. I really appreciate all your feedback. I didn't realize it was too confusing. I'm trying to portray their feelings and thoughts as much as I could, but I'm still learning to write better. Thank you for bearing with me.

I hope you will continue to read and enjoy the story. I'm grateful for all reviews and comments. You can post your comments as reviews or PM me directly. I love hearing from you all :)


	10. Chapter 10: Mamoru

~Mamoru~

Outside, the night sky had covered the whole city. Mamoru hated waking up from his nap seeing how much time had passed. He hadn't intended to rest this long but doing 2 night shifts in a row had taken a heavy toll on his body.

Maybe it was a good thing he had to work long hours after seeing Ken. Otherwise, his mind would have been preoccupied too much with Kunzite doppelgänger. Taking his mind off this matter for a day and a half gave him the distance he needed.

He took a shower, letting the hot, steaming water washed away his fatigue. He needed a fresh mind to handle this situation.

He got out of the shower, some water still dripping from his hair.

Finally, Mamoru took out the small box from his desk drawer. He sat cross-legged on the floor next to his bed. He closed his eyes, concentrating. A few minutes later, nothing happened even though he was sweating already. He felt a surge of panic coursing. He shook his head, trying to squeeze any doubts out of his mind. He continued concentrating for a few more minutes. Finally, the four spirits manifested.

Master." The four generals knelt down.

Mamoru nodded to his shitennou, beads of sweats noticeable on his forehead. Tiredness washed over him.

"Master, you looked in distress," Kunzite said as he stood up. The other three shintennou followed suit.

Mamoru shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, but it took more energy to summon you guys than usual. I must be too tired from yesterday's shift," Mamoru said, rubbing his temples.

"But Master, you've been studying and working hard all these times. You've never had problems summoning us," Zoicite said.

"Maybe my power is weakening," Mamoru said, his face grim.

"Not fighting every day has a negative effect too, it seems." Mamoru plastered a smile. Being a warrior meant being ready to fight at any time. He should have kept up his training, at least to keep maintaining his power and stamina.

The four shitennou took an awkward look at one another. Finally, Kunzite spoke up. "Perhaps it's not your power weakening. It might be us."

Mamoru furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"Lately, we have been feeling like we are losing ourselves."

"Losing yourselves?" Mamoru tilted his head, eyes fixed at his generals.

Kunzite nodded. The other three remained quiet. Nephrite crossed his arms. Jadeite looked down at the ground, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Zoicite had one arm across his chest, his chin resting on the other hand.

"All of you are spirits. How could you lose yourselves?"

"This is difficult to explain, but I will try my best." Nephrite stepped forward.

"I feel something is missing. Something deep inside me is missing," he continued.

"This is something new. We've never felt this way before." Zoicite stepped forward to explain as well.

"We feel we're being pulled away, bit by bit," Jadeite chimed in.

"Do you think it relates to the guys the senshi met last week?" Mamoru asked.

"We do not know," Kunzite answered, but his eyes said otherwise.

Mamoru touched his chin, locked in thinking mode, contemplating whether to tell Kunzite about his encounter with Ken.

"I saw Ken yesterday." Mamoru eyes' look straight at Kunzite, who remained stoic as was his nature.

"He seems harmless. I sensed no evil vibe from him. I'm inclined to think him harmless."

Kunzite looked down for a moment. Then he looked up to face Mamoru.

"Yesterday I was in a sword fight."

Mamoru furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't summon you yesterday. How could you be in a fight?"

"Not a real fight. But I felt myself engaging in one, wielding the sword like I used to. It felt similar to dreaming, yet somehow felt real."

Mamoru sighed, starting to recognize a connection. "Ken was in a fencing competition yesterday."

All four generals swiftly turned to look at their master.

"Yesterday?" Kunzite asked, still keeping his voice calm.

Mamoru nodded. "Minako and I went to see him compete." Mamoru locked eyes with his head shitennou. "He looked like you. Moved like you. Fought like you."

Kunzite took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"There's a connection there." Nephrite touched his chin, lowering his gaze to the ground. His thinking mode looked so much like his master's that other shitennou teased them sometimes.

"I felt Mercury's presence this afternoon," Zoicite chimed in.

Mamoru raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Well." The graceful general paused. "I felt a strong bond between Mercury and me. Her presence filled my mind. It was like I was spending time with her."

Everybody fixed their gazes at him, leaning in eager to hear more.

"It was blurry. I couldn't even see her clearly, but I felt it. I felt it was her." He turned to gaze out the window.

"They are connected to us somehow. Could these guys be us?" Jadeite said.

"That sounds so crazy. How could it be possible?" Zoicite said.

"I think Jadeite might have a point," Nephrite said.

"Think about it. When Metallia killed us, our bodies just vanished. Yet our spirits still talked to the senshi. Then after the battle, we were back here in the stones. Where were our bodies?" Nephrite said.

"Maybe these guys were us reincarnated. Like Master, the princess, and the senshi. But because our spirits were trapped here, only parts of us were reincarnated?" Jadeite said.

"That sounds far-fetched, but not impossible," Mamoru said.

"You think that makes more sense than enemies disguising as us?" Zoicite asked.

"If you all felt connections with these guys and what they did, then yes," Mamoru said.

"Energy does not vanish, but it doesn't have to be together. Maybe a part of your energies got trapped here. Other parts were not," Mamoru continued.

"What are we going to do? We need to dig deeper into this," Jadeite said.

"There's nothing to do," Kunzite said, shaking his head.

"I think you meant there's nothing we _can_ do," Zoicite said, his face bitter.

"How are the senshi?" Kunzite asked his Master.

"I think they are still figuring out things, both about your spirits and the new guys," Mamoru said.

"This is so weird," Jadeite said.

"Thank you, Jadeite. That is such a helpful comment," Zoicite said, glaring at the younger shitennou. Jadeite rolled his eyes.

"Stop bickering, you two," Nephrite yelled.

Mamoru shook his head. Even when discussing such a heavy issue, they managed to bicker. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm glad you find this funny, Master." Zoicite crossed his arms.

"I miss hanging out with you guys." He looked at them.

"Us too." Kunzite nodded and smiled. The head shitennou was like a big brother to Mamoru. He felt protected being in Kunzite's presence.

"Neph, are you ok?" Mamoru said, noticing Nephrite lost in thoughts.

Nephrite turned to Mamoru. "Let me look at the stars," Nephrite said.

Mamoru knew what that meant. His third-in-command was a stargazer and could interpret prophecies from the stars.

"I can't let you out on the balcony. Might scare people," Mamoru said.

"They won't see me if you don't let them," Nephrite said.

"But the girls saw you."

"That's because you wanted them to."

Mamoru thought about it for a moment. "Ok." He nodded.

Everybody went silent while Nephrite was out on the balcony. More likely than not, his stargazing came out accurate. Zoicite would say, of course, that it was accurate because of its vagueness, but the rest of them took the stars' warning seriously. Nonetheless, sometimes warnings were not enough. Back in the Golden Kingdom, they received the warning about Metallia too. But only Endymion managed to escape her mind-control.

Nephrite floated back through the glass door.

"A big change is coming."

"Very helpful, Neph," Zoicite said, eyes rolling.

"He's not finished, you cynical, sarcastic jerk," Jadeite yelled.

"Shh, shut up boys," Kunzite said.

Nephrite remained quiet for a few seconds. "Reunited with the beloved. That's what the stars said."

They all looked at each other.

"That's it?" Jadeite asked.

Nephrite nodded.

"I'm sure it means our spirits will return to the intended bodies and be whole again." Jadeite said, looking hopeful. His eyes gleamed, even if it was just a hint.

"But those guys already have souls," Kunzite said.

"It's still possible," Zoicite said.

Mamoru was surprised that the brain of the group had finally dwelled on the possibility of their returns. Zoicite had been pessimistic and skeptic through this whole conversation.

"Souls or spirits are not something definite with a clearly defined border. One does not have to replace the other. One plus one could still be one," Zoicite said.

"That makes sense. Let's hope that's the case. I can't wait to be with Mars again," Jadeite said, looking optimistic.

"I hope so, too. You all deserve another chance," Mamoru said.

"Tell Mars to wait for me." Jadeite smiled and said to Mamoru.

He shook his head. "I will not tell them anything. This is merely speculation. I can't get their hopes up only to be let down again."

Jadeite looked disappointed, slumping his shoulders. But Mamoru knew his youngest general would not give up hope. Jadeite was usually the most optimistic of them all.

"If the stars want this to happen, it will," Nephrite said.

—

~Sailor Pluto~

Small Lady said, "Wow! They got it right."

Sailor Pluto's gaze fixed at the event unfolding before them. She nodded and smiled. "Indeed, they did."

"Who would have thought uncle Jadeite would be the one who figured it out? He's not the smartest," Small Lady said, a playful smile on her face.

Pluto smiled, "He's cleverer than he lets on. And that was not a nice thing to say, small lady." The senshi of time sent a stern, but motherly warning to the young princess.

Small lady made herself small and said, "Sorry." This child always had a way to get others to forgive her.

Small Lady kept her eyes on the scene in front of her. One hand pointing at the scene of her father's past self and his generals. "Can't we just go and tell them? I can't wait to have cousins to play with."

"You know very well we cannot tamper with the past," Pluto said even though they did that several times, but if the situation were not gravely enough, she would not let anyone affect the past events. Even herself.

"But things will work out. Right, Pluto? They will get their happy endings, right?" Small Lady asked.

Pluto waved her Garnet Rod, and the scene disappeared, leaving behind only the fog of time and space.

Pluto sighed. "They will have to decide that themselves."

—

AN: Another chapter done. I hope this clears things up a bit. Thank you for all your comments. It's helpful to know what I need to put in the story to help readers understand it. The story has been in my head for a long time, so everything is obvious to me. I really need someone to tell me when it gets confusing. Thank you again for your comments and reviews. I appreciate you all for bearing with me and continuing reading.


	11. Chapter 11: Makoto and Nobu

~Makoto~

From her apartment, Makoto was walking to her date with Nobu. On this beautiful Sunday, the sunshine covered the city with kindness. The occasional breeze wrapping her body helped calm Makoto's nerves. She almost gave up hopes when he didn't call for a week, but when he came in yesterday for his usual Saturday morning coffee, he asked her out.

She was excited, giddy even. But when she got home last night and had time to let her thoughts and feelings sink in, she felt conflicted. Last weekend, she was certain Nobu was Nephrite. But his spirit greeting her at Mamoru's apartment rattled her belief.

She was usually not the one pondering logical possibilities. That's Ami's job. But last night, she ruminated about these two guys over and over until she couldn't take it anymore. She decided to let her feelings guide her. She got into her elements surrounded by plants and connected with Jupiter, the God of Thunders. He always came to help her in trying times. He knew what was best for her.

The next morning, she concluded that Nobu was the Nephrite's reincarnation. Maybe not the whole him, but him nonetheless. A flicker of thought crossed her mind that bias could have clouded her connections with Jupiter, but she shoved the thought away. She remained firm on what she received from her God. The ancient King of Gods convinced her that Nephrite's spirit and body got separated because of Metallia's control, resulting in the separating between his physical reincarnation and soul.

If anyone looked at her belief objectively, they'd say it was absurd. She didn't dare to tell her friends. Not yet. But she truly believed it. Yes, Nephrite's spirit was with Mamoru, but another part of him could be with her. She would make sure it happened. The brunette resolved to create their happy ending in this lifetime.

Nobu let her pick a place for their date, so she suggested the Crown ice-cream parlor because she felt comfortable there. She wanted her first date with him to go smoothly. She hated to be nervous in front of him. The whole situation made her jumpy already. The brunette didn't need the nerve of facing a new environment on top of everything.

Makoto arrived at the front of the parlor. When she saw Nobu already waited there, the panic engulfed her. She pulled out her phone to check the time. She let out a sigh of relief because she was right on time. He was early.

That meant he was excited for their date, right?The thought warmed her heart.

She stepped closer to him. He felt her presence and turned to her.

"Good morning, Makoto."

"Good morning, Nobu."

She caught his gaze surveying her, making blood tainted her cheeks. Today she wore a dark green overall minidress with a white short sleeves shirt underneath. The dress fitted around her chest and waist, the helm cut in the middle of her thigh. She used to be self-conscious of her curves because she was different from typical Japanese girls. She used to hate she was not a skinny, petite girl like the rest of her friends. But now she embraced her body. Her curves signified her femininity. And she liked that.

"You look lovely." He smiled. Bigger than his usual smile. Her heart thumping in her chest. She felt overly conscious of warmth spreading through her body. She was melting right in front of him. A few minutes more of his smile, electricity might have burst. She tried hard to suppress her power.

"Thank you. You look very nice, too." He was wearing a light green button-up shirt and a brown sports jacket, paired with his fitted jeans. This semi-casual look suited him. But being as handsome as he was, any look would have flattered him.

"Shall we? He gestured at the door. She nodded, and they went in.

~Nobu~

The date was surprisingly enjoyable. Not that Nobu assumes this girl was boring, but he didn't expect things to turn out so lovely. He was not used to dating. His father did not wish for him to start dating until he succeeded in his career. A good son obeyed his father. And he was always a good son.

Today he went against his father's wish, but for once he wanted to know what being on a date was like. And this girl felt special. As long as his father didn't know, it'd be fine.

After the coffee, they walked around downtown. Beautiful spring weather made strolling in the city pleasant. They walked along a few small alleys in the commercial district. Countless shops put out spring-themed displays of homemade household items. He walked by this part of the city several times but never noticed these little shops before.

When she spotted a florist, her gait came to a halt. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation. He let her drag him inside. The florist was bigger than it looked from the outside. Numerous types of flowers being displayed. He didn't know most of the flowers, except for a few common ones like roses, tulips, and lilies. The shop not only sold cut-up flowers; they also sold potted plants. She squealed with joy when seeing a row of potted roses.

"I see you like plants." Nobu pulled out one pot on the middle shelf to take a closer look.

Makoto kneeled down to examine one pot at the bottom of the shelf. "Yes, I love them. I have dozens in my apartment." She talked without looking at him, eyes showing an intense passion for these beautiful green creatures. "I love roses the most."

He kneeled down beside her and pulled out a pot of a red rose next to the one she was looking at. The flower was in an early stage of blooming. He traced his finger gently along the petals.

"But they are so delicate, so difficult to care for."

"That's why I like them." She pulled out a pot of a pink rose and slowly spun it around to examine the whole pot.

"What do you mean?"

She turned to him, "Because they are delicate, it's satisfying to take good care of them and see them bloom."

She's a nurturer, like his mother. He could tell since he met her, proud at accurately reading her character.

"Maybe you should get a cat or a dog," he said.

"I've thought about it, but usually I'm not home until later in the evening. I couldn't let them stay alone in my apartment. I hope one day I could though."

Nobu put the pot of rose back on the bottom shelf.

She looked at the pot she was holding fondly. Two pink roses bloomed, flaunting their beauties with the world.

"You seem to like this one the most. Let me get it for you." He gave her his hand, waiting for her to hand him the plant.

She held the pot closer to her chest. "You don't have to do that."

He smiled. "I want to."

She blushed and smiled. He could look at this smile forever. He felt this urge to hold her, but he held it back. For all his life, he didn't feel this warm very often. His mother was nurturing, but his father refused to let her coddle him.

She handed him the plant, and he took it to the register. The saleswoman put a green wrapper around the pot and gave it to him. She waited with anticipation. He couldn't tell if she was looking at the rose or him, either way, he was glad he made her happy. He handed her the plant. She took it and held it close to her. "Thank you very much." She seemed overjoyed. How could such a simple gift make her ecstatic?

He realized he was staring at her jovial reaction. Making someone happy brought up a strange feeling in him. He couldn't remember the last time he made someone happy. His father was rarely satisfied with his study or work performance. If he got a B+, father scolded him for not getting an A. When he got a straight A, the old man wanted him to earn perfect scores. His father always said Nobu could have done better. "Try harder" is his father's typical comment.

He felt an unusual sense of ease when he was with her. The weight of the world seemed to be lifted, making him feel light and calm.

They got out of the store and walked down the street.

"What do you do in your free time?" She asked.

"Free time?"

"Yeah, you know mine already. Cooking and gardening. What's yours?"

He looked up, lost in thoughts. "I don't know. I guess reading?"

"What do you read?"

"Newspaper, financial magazines, things like that."

She furrowed her brows. "That doesn't sound fun."

He chuckled. "I like reading those." She must think of him as a serious, boring guy. Well, it was true. But when he pondered longer about it, he didn't read those for fun. What did he do for fun? He honestly didn't know. When was the last time he did something just for fun? He dug his memories for an answer, but none surfaced.

He glanced at a black Mercedes driven passed by. His heart and breathing quickened. Was that his father's car? He didn't see who was inside. His eyes darted to the license plate. The hair on his back stood. It was indeed his father's car.

He hoped his father didn't notice them.

She saw his eyes fixing on the street and followed his gaze.

"Is something wrong?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.

"No. Nothing. I will have to go soon. Can I walk you to your place?"

She nodded and smiled. He hoped this wouldn't be the last time he saw this smile.

* * *

A mansion in Tokyo was rare, yet this was where Nobu grew up. He parked his BMW in the garage, eyes fixed at the black Mercedes already parked there. Did his father see him with Makoto? Of all the days his father was in town, it had to be the one day he was on a date.

Nobu hadn't even crossed the threshold into the house when his mother called him.

His father wanted to meet him in his office.

He knew this was coming. How could he be a good lawyer if he couldn't even outsmart his father? Nobu knocked on the mahogany door. Since he was little, he thought the door was intimidating. It still was.

"Nobu, sit down." His father's tone was steady and flat, meaning something was wrong.

"I saw you today." His father stood facing the window with his back to Nobu, crossed his hands behind his back. The man was scary even without seeing his face.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean, sir."

"You know very well what I mean." His father voice remained tense.

Nobu squared his shoulders, trying to appear undisturbed by his father. He could not show any sign of weakness in front of the old man. Inside, however, his whole body went rigid. His father knew he went out with Makoto. But a good lawyer would not admit it, not without the opponent asking explicitly. His father taught him never to lie, but never admit things unnecessarily either.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, sir," Nobu said with a straight face, heeding his father's advice in being a good lawyer.

His father turned to face Nobu. "I saw you with a girl."

Nobu inhaled deeply, readying himself for a reprimand.

The old man raised his voice. "I told you girls are distractions. You'll have plenty of times to find a nice girl once you have established your career."

"I remember your words, sir." Nobu nodded.

"Then what are you doing with this girl?"

Nobu's eyes darted around searching for an answer. The proper response that would placate the man's anger.

Nobu released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "It was a mistake, sir." He felt blood coursing through his body, but shivers still ran through his back. His words felt like a lie. And he never lied.

He had a good time with Makoto, but that was it. A good time. Did it worth his father's wrath? Or derailing his career? Maybe not. He cursed himself for having fallen victim to the simple error every young man made. He was trained to be better than that. Smarter than that.

His father walked to the giant teak desk and sat down. Everything in his father's office was intimidating. The old-fashioned clock on his desk. The ornate bookcases filled with thick legal and antique-looking books surrounding the room. Sometimes he wondered how his father could work in such a suffocating milieu.

His father placed his elbows on the desk, lacing his fingers together. "Don't let me down, son." He gave Nobu a stoic expression. The indecipherable face he made in courts. His father's eyes pierced through his body. He felt as if thousands of needles prickled him all at once.

"I won't, sir." Nobu nodded, gaze fixed with whom he saw as the future version of himself. Nobu had always admired the man. The provider of the family. The influencer of the communities. The conqueror of the legal system. The modern-day royal. Nobu clenched his fist, determined not to let his role model down.

As soon as he closed the door of this father's office, his mother greeted him with a gentle smile. She was in a simple light pink dress. A white apron wrapped around her tiny waist. "Everything alright, dear?" She must have noticed his solemn expression.

He plastered a smile, couldn't make his mother worry. "Yes, mother." His mother did not seem convinced but didn't press further. "Would you like anything to eat?" They could easily afford a private cook, but his mother enjoyed cooking, and her food was unbeatable. He tasted no food better than hers, not even from countless fine dining restaurants he had been to. Would Makoto's cooking be as good as his mother's? He shoved that thought away. Annoyed at himself for thinking of her. "I'm not hungry, mother. But thank you."

His mother pulled out her apron and hung it on a hook. "I'm going out to meet my friends. Keep an eye out for when your sisters get home, will you?"

Nobu tried not to roll his eyes. His mother always worried too much about the twins. "They are eighteen, mother. They can take care of themselves."

She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know, dear. I just want to make sure they respect the curfew." Her comment made him let out a smile. "Sure, mother. I'll make sure they get home before eleven." His mother smiled. "I know you think your sisters are old enough, but eighteen is a very crucial time for young girls. It's very tempting for them to be too involved in love and fantasy that they forget to take care of their future. I don't want that to happen to my girls."

Eighteen. Makoto was eighteen too.

"You know, if any guy hurt them, I will not hesitate to punch him." He punched his fist into his palm.

She chuckled. "No, you won't. You don't want a physical assault on your record."

He shrugged. "Maybe not, but I'll make sure he pays for hurting my little sisters."

As she walked away, she gently touched his cheek. "I love that you are protective of your sisters." As his mother went upstairs to change, he lingered in the kitchen. Seeing the elaborate dishes his mother made laid out on the table, he felt a little sorry for her. She put all these efforts, and no one would touch her food.

Nobu was not particularly hungry, but he felt so guilty that he ate some, anyway. He would have to eat eventually, so why not showing his mother a little appreciation? He ate the food slowly, his mind kept drifting to what his father said. And what he felt between him and Makoto today.

"I thought you weren't hungry?" His mother popped her head into the kitchen.

"I saw your food and couldn't help myself." He smiled at her, earning a smile back.

"See you later, dear." The sound of her heels clicking on the marble tiles near the front door echoed in the hallway. After hearing the engine starting, he allowed his mind to wander back to Makoto.

He truly enjoyed their date. He couldn't remember the last time he genuinely enjoyed the moment. It was always making efforts toward accomplishing something. Everything was about the future, not the present. Makoto made him feel grounded. Relaxed. Content. Free.

Free to be himself. Not who he strived to be, but who he was now.

With her, he was good enough as he was.

What a dangerous thought, he realized. He _could not_ and _should not_ be content with who he was because who he was right now was not good enough. Not good enough to inherit one of the largest law firms in the country. Not good enough to become whom he wanted to be, whom his father wanted him to be.

Besides, she was only eighteen, the same age as his sisters. His mother was right. Makoto was probably just daydreaming about the possibilities of love, not about him, but the concept of love. Just like his sisters were.

It would be unwise and unfair both to her and himself to continue their relationships. They deserved a successful career. He would not distract her, nor let her distract him.

He sighed. She might be disappointed, but this was for the best. For both of them.

* * *

AN: I love this chapter. Makoto/Nephrite is my OTP, so I'm totally biased. It drives me crazy sometimes writing for all 4 pairs. I feel like I can't do it well. When I wrote Memory Trap, I swore I would never write all 4 in one story again. And look what happened? LOL. It's so difficult to resist when all of them keep creeping up in my head. Anyway, I'm going to try my hardest to get their stories out as best as I can.

Which couple is your OTP?


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